It was a quiet night and I was mostly busy stocking the shelves. It was easy work and I was alone with my thoughts.

I kept thinking about the trip here with Stefan. It was probably the most uncomfortable ride I've ever had. Even more awkward than the one time Dad picked me up from the airport when I moved in with him.

You could tell he didn't know the best way to handle the situation and I had to think back to Edward the whole drive. How he struggled to hold back. How he debated with himself about what he could and couldn't tell me.

Stefan tried to make small talk, but this failed immediately. We finally got to the store and the last thing he told me was to stay away from Damon. That I shouldn't trust him. Then he drove away.

Now I was standing here in the snack aisle with a hundred questions, but almost no answers.

I heard the shop door open and turned to greet the customers. But before I could utter a single syllable, I was knocked off my feet and found myself waltzing with Damon.

My dancing skills had been rusty since prom, but Damon's elegance and dexterity made up for that. As we both danced through the aisles, Damon hummed an unfamiliar tune as accompaniment.

"You seem in a very good mood today, Damon," I emphasized his name particularly heavily.

"And you seem to have figured out my name, Bella," he emphasized my name heavily as well. "Which of the gossips gave him away?"

As he spoke, he dipped me and held me until I responded.

"I met your brother."

The smile on Damon's lips faded and his expression was now annoyed. Without any warning, he let go of me, causing me to fall to the floor.

"Ouch!"

Damon walked over to the cash register and leaned against the counter.

"And what was my beloved baby brother talking to you about?"

I sat up so that I was now sitting cross-legged on the floor, facing the vampires at the same time. "Not very much. Mainly that I shouldn't trust you and keep my distance."

A mischievous smirk tugged at his lips, but his expression was still very annoyed.

"And will you listen to him?"

"The last time I was told that they broke up with me in a forest and left me there," I explained, earning an unimpressed laugh. "Of course, this was just a few days after my birthday party where I almost got killed by his brother."

Damon looked up in surprise but didn't say anything. I got up and brushed the dust off my pants. "I am not afraid of you."

"You should though."

"I've heard that saying before," I replied. "And who knows, maybe I do have a death wish."

I continued with the work I was being snatched away from while Damon watched me silently. I assume he was thinking, but my back was to him now and I didn't want to give him any more unnecessary attention right now.

After a while, I got so lost in my work that I forgot the vampire was still there. It wasn't until he came up behind me that I was reminded of his presence.

"How about a little game?"

I looked at him confused. "A game?"

"Yes! A game of survival!" he announced triumphantly. "The rules are simple. I decide spontaneously on any given day that I will go hunting for you. And if you can't get out of my way by dawn, I'll allow myself to a drink of your blood."

This was probably meant as some sort of threat, but I was actually a lot more excited than intimidated.

"But what if I make it by then?"

Damon shrugged. "Then I owe you a favor."

A favor or my blood. This didn't seem fair in any way, but I didn't care. I threw my survival instinct out the window years ago. I couldn't lose.

"Deal!"

"Then let's play."