Alice dropped her eyes from Adrian's stare. The way he looked at her made her feel that she'd made the wrong decision by meeting him but no matter how much she wanted to she couldn't make herself get off the bench and go home. She let her eyes travel to his mouth, lips full but it could have been from the swelling. She took in the little goatee he'd grown to cover up his youthful face. Alice's eyes moved further, this time over his chest and abdomen; toned, scarred, and tan in color. She looked at his arms, covered in more scars that she would never ask about and a tribal tattoo on his right shoulder that didn't seem to belong. His hand clutched a bloody t-shirt and Alice was thankful for the rain; she knew it was the only thing keeping the smell of blood at bay.
"Alice," Adrian's fingers lifted her chin forcing her eyes back on his, "I'm sorry if I was making you uncomfortable. I won't stare anymore, I promise."
"Let's get out of the rain." Alice smiled at him trying not to explain why she had looked away from him. The truth was he really didn't make her uncomfortable at all; that was the problem.
Adrian nodded his head in agreement and reached out his hand for hers. Alice hesitated for a brief moment then placed her icy hand into the warmth of his palm. They both got up from the bench and Alice guided him to her yellow Porsche parked on the curb.
"I'll drive you back to the apartment so you can get your stuff then we can go back to Suds as planned." Alice cranked the engine and began to turn onto the road.
"Actually, I'd rather not go back there right now." Adrian frowned at the thought of having to face Gabe just yet. "Take a right here."
Alice followed his instruction and turned her car right. He gave further instruction as they drove on. The rain began to slow down and the night sky became clear and crisp. After being pointed into the right direction, Alice pulled her car into a parking spot in front of a small park. Adrian quickly got out of the passenger side and sprinted towards a huge oak tree in the middle of the park.
"Where are you going?" Alice called as she watched him. She tried to see what he was up to but like always she kept getting blurred outcomes.
Adrian didn't answer her. He jumped up and grabbed the lowest branch on the tree then swung his feet up so he could sit on it. After steadying himself on the branch, he began to slowly climb further to the top. "Come on up." He called down to Alice as he tried to adjust his cast a little to make the climb easier.
"Let me show you how you're supposed to climb a tree." Alice grinned up at him. She ran towards the tree and jumped. She landed in a crouch, almost cat-like, on the first branch. She proceeded to jump from branch to branch effortlessly. She caught up to Adrian in a matter of seconds and settled on a branch a little higher than the one he was on. "Hurry up, you're slowing me down."
"Who would've thought all you had to give up to be an expert climber is mortality?" Adrian grunted as he pulled himself up on the branch where Alice sat. "Such a small price to pay."
"Oh, but you get so much more for that price." Alice laughed at him struggling to catch his breath. "Like a short climb doesn't make you huff and puff trying to catch your breath."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Adrian rolled his eyes and gave her a playful shove. "I do have a broken hand, you know? It makes climbing a little more difficult."
Alice laughed as she watched him settle on the branch, trying to find a comfortable position. No matter how much he was kidding around with her, the sadness in his eyes stood out tremendously. It bothered her to see that look on his face. Since she met him, he'd always had a spark about him. It was one of the things that really drew her to him.
"Why did we come here?" She leaned forward to get a better look at his face.
"I didn't want to go home." Adrian pushed his hair off his forehead and turned to face Alice a little better. "Well, actually I can't go home but you already knew that, didn't you?"
Alice nodded and smiled apologetically at him. "Do you need a place to stay?"
Adrian studied her face, hoping she didn't mean what it sounded like. He didn't want to have to argue with her tonight. He just wanted to enjoy her company. If she was really thinking about saying…
"You could come stay with…" Alice stopped abruptly as Adrian held up his hand. "What's wrong?"
"Alice, please, don't ask me to stay with your family."
"Why?"
"Alice," Adrian shook his head, wondering how someone could be so naive, "I can not be around that many vampires. It is my job to kill them. I wouldn't be able to control myself."
"But my family…"
"I know your family doesn't feed off humans. I don't doubt you or them at all. I'm sure they could live with a human and not kill them. I'm sure they'd be fine with the arrangement. It's me I doubt. I can not change it. I can't control it." He looked at her, his eyes white. "You don't know how many times I've had to stop myself from killing you, just today."
"Five." She muttered. "You've fought it off every time. That proves that you can change it."
"Only with you. I have to force myself to focus on something other than killing when I'm with you, it's not easy. But I just…I…" Adrian dropped his head in defeat. He knew he'd have to say the words sooner or later. "I care about you too much. I couldn't show the same mercy for your family."
"Okay then." Alice whispered, knowing she wouldn't be able to change his mind. She knew he was right but she also knew her family would probably never allow him to step foot into their home anyways. As soon as Jasper found out this was the slayer she'd invited home, he would have killed Adrian.
