Hello, everybody! Thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! I appreciate each and every single one of them! I'm really sorry about all the fluff chapters, but I'm still trying to figure out the plot, so for now, fluff-galore! However, I think you guys are going to love this chapter! :)
Chapter Twenty-Six
It was around noon when I woke up screaming and crying again. This time, however, I did not dream about my mother. I dreamt about Jareth raping me.
Once again, Blake burst into my room with a distressed look on his face. He didn't have a shirt on, his boxers were crumpled, and his hair was sticking up in all different directions.
"What's wrong!?" Blake shouted.
I couldn't help it. Even though I just had one of the worst dreams of my life two seconds ago, I smiled. He just looked so cute like that. And he had a great chest. "I just had another bad dream. Sorry if I woke you," I replied.
"Why are you smiling? It sounded like you were being murdered," Blake said, looking slightly upset at being woken up for nothing.
"Just the way you came bursting in here with just your boxers on. It was cute," I said.
"I'm cute, am I?" Blake said, a mischievous glint in his eyes and his arms crossed over his chest.
"I never said you were cute. I said the way you came in here was cute. There's a difference," I said, my lips curling into a smirk.
"No, it's practically the same thing," he argued as he made his way towards the empty side of my bed. He plopped himself down, uninvited.
"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting up.
"Sitting," he said simply.
"This is my bed," I complained. I wasn't really bothered that Blake decided to sit in bed with me in just his boxers. I just wanted to tease him.
"It's my house."
"You've got yourself a point," I gave in.
"So, what do you want to do today?" he asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know. What do you have to do?"
"Loads. We could watch more movies, we could watch TV, play video games, go swimming. Anything, really," he said.
"Well, I'm kind of hungry. We could eat something, then go swimming, maybe?" I recommended.
"That sounds fine to me. What do you want to eat? I could make us something."
"Whatever's easy for you. I'm not picky," I told him.
"What about a grilled cheese? Is that okay?" Blake suggested.
"Yeah, that's fine. I'm going to get dressed, then I'll be right down."
"Alright, I'll meet you in the kitchen." Blake got up from the bed and walked to the door. Just before he left, he put his hands on his hips and shook his butt in the air.
I laughed and threw a pillow at him. "Get out of here!"
He turned around, threw the pillow back on my bed, grinned, then left.
I smiled, got out of bed, and walked to the closet. As I was trying to find a bathing suit, my mind turned to the dream I had just had. It was so vivid. It was just like the actual experience, the pain and all. I felt my chest tighten with the power of an incoming sob. It escaped from my chest, as well as a few tears from my eyes. The pain had an omnipresent place in my heart. It would have been unbearable to deal with it, had it not been for Blake. The pain was still there, but Blake numbed it.
I let out a few more tears, and rummaged through the drawers in my closet for a bathing suit. I finally found a black bikini and let out a sigh. Really? A freaking bikini? It would show off both the cuts on my back and stomach. It's not like anyone but Blake was going to see me, but still…
I put that on, and a blue v-neck and black jeans over it. I wiped the last of the tears from my face, and headed to the kitchen.
When I entered the kitchen, Blake was in black swim trunks and was making the grilled cheese. But it wasn't just a simple grilled cheese. It was on sourdough bread, and had bitto cheese in place of regular American. He had placed Jamon Iberico ham on it, beefsteak tomatoes, and crisp lettuce.
"Oh my god, Blake. That's some of the most expensive ham in the world, as so is that cheese. Where did you get that?" I asked, surprised at the amount of money that was going into a grilled cheese sandwich.
"Being rich has its perks," he said nonchalantly.
I raised my eyebrows in response, but said nothing more. A few minutes later, he placed the sandwich and a glass of water in front of me. He took a seat next to me with his own sandwich.
"Where's your suit?" he asked.
"I've got it on. It's under my clothes," I explained. He nodded, and took a bite of his sandwich. I followed. As soon as a bite of food hit my taste buds, my eyes bulged out of my sockets. That was the best damn sandwich I have ever tasted.
"Do you like it?" Blake asked when he saw me take a bite.
"I don't think I will ever be able to eat just a plain grilled cheese after this. What have you done to my taste buds?"
He released a laugh. "I enhanced them."
I smiled, and finished my sandwich. I emitted a contented sigh, and leaned back in my chair. "You all done?" Blake asked me.
I nodded. "That was freaking delicious. Thank you for showing me the wonderful world of expensive grilled cheese sandwiches."
"You're welcome, my lady," Blake said as he picked up my plate as well as his and put them in the dishwasher. "You ready to go swimming?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"Then let's go!" Blake shouted as he grabbed my hand and pulled me through the living room and out a sliding glass door. I was amazed at the sight my eyes met when I saw his backyard. It was huge. In the center of the yard was an enormous pool, complete with a hot tub and slide. The area around the pool was grass, and the forest started at the end of the grass, with a trail leading into the forest. I made a mental note to explore that trail soon.
"This is amazing," I said, my mouth hanging open slightly.
"What did you expect?" Blake inquired.
"I don't know. A slightly larger than average pool. Not one the size of a small lake," I answered.
He grinned. "Don't expect anything but the best. Now take your clothes off!"
I put my hands on my hips. "I will if you say so nicely and get me some sunscreen."
"I've already got the sunscreen covered, and will you please take your clothes off?" he repeated.
"Yes. Thank you for asking nicely," I laughed.
I removed my clothes, and felt Blake's eyes scanning my body up and down. "Don't do that. It reminds me of Jareth," I demanded.
"Sorry, but I couldn't help but notice the scars on your legs. What are they from?" he asked.
"I used to cut myself."
"Oh. Oh, Misery. Why would you do something like that?" he asked, a sad expression on his face.
"I'd rather not talk about it right now," I told him.
"Okay, later. But for now, here is your precious sunscreen." He stuck his hand out, holding the bottle of spray-on sunscreen.
"Can you just spray it in for me?" I asked instead of taking the bottle.
"Sure." He began to spray the sunscreen on my chest, avoiding the almost completely healed cut on my stomach. I shivered when the cold sunscreen came into contact with my body.
"Should I get your back too?" Blake asked when he was finished spraying the front of me.
"Um, maybe just the tops of my shoulders and the backs of my legs," I suggested.
"Okay, turn," he commanded, and I complied. He sprayed the sunscreen on my shoulders and the backs of my legs and commanded me to turn back around when he was done. He then sprayed some into his hands, and rubbed it on my face. There was something about the way that he rubbed my skin. It felt…wonderful. Just him touching me was great.
"Make sure you pay careful attention to my nose and cheeks," I said.
"Okay," he replied, and put on an extra layer for my nose and cheeks.
"And did you get my shoulders?" I asked.
"Yes, I got your shoulders."
"And the top of my chest?"
"Yes, I got the top of your chest. You'll be fine. This SPF 90," he told me, showing me the bottle. It was indeed SPF 90.
"Alright, then. I'm trusting you. If I get skin cancer, I'll know whose fault it is." I smiled.
"You're not going to get skin cancer!" he laughed. "Now, jump in with me!"
"No, I have to get used to the water before I get in all the way," I said.
"Not this time," Blake said as he picked me up and ran to the pool.
"Blake, no! Put me down! Don't do-" I was cut off from the rush of cold water enveloping our bodies. I felt the rush of water shoot up around us. I looked at Blake and he looked at me. Our eyes connected underwater a split second and we exchanged smiles before we emerged.
"How dare you!" I said in a mock rage.
"I'm sure you'll forgive me," he said, still holding me in his arms while we floated in the water.
I looked down. "How deep is this pool?" I asked.
"Twenty feet at its deepest. We're floating over the deepest part," he answered.
"Oh," I said, my breathing starting to get heavier and heavier.
"Why? Is there something wrong?" Blake asked, his face contorted with worry. He seemed to be worrying a lot about me lately.
"It's nothing. I'm just not a fan of deep water," I said, trying to make my breathing go back to normal. It's okay, I thought. You're not going to drown. You're with Blake. When you're with Blake, there's nothing to be afraid of.
"You have a phobia of deep water?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, let's move then. Here, I'll give you a piggy back ride," Blake offered, smile.
I smiled back. "Okay." He turned around, and I clamped my legs around his waist, and my arms around the top of his shoulders.
"You on?" Blake asked, turning his head to look at me.
"Yeah," and he shot off like a freaking dolphin. He swam so fast, we reached the opposite side of the pool in ten seconds.
He let me down onto an area where my feet touched the ground.
"Is this better?" he asked.
"Yeah, much better. Jesus Christ, do you swim fast," I told him.
Blake laughed. "One of the perks of being a vampire."
Three hours had past, and we had the time of our lives. We had five splash fights (Blake won all of them), four diving contests (I won all of those), a game of Marco Polo (which was surprisingly fun with only two people), and a contest to see who could hold their breath the longest (Blake won. Again.).
I was lying on a towel next to the pool, while Blake was floating around lazily in the water. My eyes wandered around until they landed on the trail leading into the forest. An idea popped into my head.
"Hey, Blake?" I called out to him.
"Yes, Mizz?" he answered.
I was taken aback by the awful nickname he had just given me, and my idea was momentarily forgotten. "What did you just call me?" I asked, sitting up to face him.
"Mizz. Do you like it?" he asked.
"No. It's atrocious."
"Well, what else should I call you?"
"Um, my name perhaps?"
"I will for the time being. Until I think of something else."
I sighed. I always hated nicknames. "Anyways, I was wondering where that little trial leads to."
"Oh, that leads to the meadow where Megan and I had our picnic and you walked in on us," he explained with a wave of his hand.
"What about we go take a walk?" I suggested.
"Right now?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, why not? I'll just go get a pair of flip-flops and we can go."
He shrugged. "All right. While you're up there, can you get me a pair as well?"
"Yeah," I said as I got to my feet and walked into the house. I found a pair of black flip-flops from my closet, and a pair of similar men's sandals from Blake's closet. I stopped to take a look around Blake's room. I hadn't been in there since the day I had tried to escape, and nothing changed (well, except for the broken window, etc.).
I returned to the pool to find Blake drying himself off with his towel. I tossed him flip-flops, where they landed at his feet. I slipped mine on, and waited for Blake to do the same.
"You ready?" he asked once his shoes were on.
I nodded.
"Well, come on, then," he ushered me.
We began walking into the forest, following the trail, side by side.
We walked for a few moments in silence before Blake spoke. "So why did you used to cut yourself?"
I knew that question was going to pop up, and had been preparing for it. "Well, as you know, my mother died when I was seven, and I never really got over her death. So when my grandmother died a few years later, something inside me broke. And the fact that my aunt was always a bitch to me didn't make things any better. So I vented my feelings by cutting myself."
"How was your aunt a bitch?" he asked.
"I suppose it was nothing super major, but she was always so rude to me. She never uttered a single word to me unless it was to tell me that I fucked something up or yell at me. Having to deal with her bullshit and the loss of two of the most important people in my life really got to me."
"So for how long did you cut?"
"About two years."
"And why did you stop?"
"Because my aunt and uncle found out. They yelled at me for an hour, and they told me that if I did it again, they would put me in foster care. As much as I hated living in the same house as my aunt, I couldn't bare the idea of being put into foster care. So I stopped."
"Oh god, that's awful. Why did they yell at you? Aren't parents supposed to hug and tell their children they love them when they find out about stuff like that?"
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Apparently they didn't get the memo. I honestly don't know why the felt the urge to yell at me in that situation. They're just fucked up people, I suppose."
"Well, I'm sorry for everything you had to go through. That sounds really messed up," Blake said.
I just nodded.
We continued on in silence. All of a sudden, I felt my foot get caught in a tree root, and I was going down. Just before I hit the ground, Blake caught me and held me suspended in the air. Our eyes locked for a moment before he turned his attention to my neck. He slowly bent his head down into the crook of my neck, and licked my throat. I shivered, and closed my eyes, knowing what would come next. His fangs grazed my skin softly, before I felt a sharp pain in my neck. I gasped at the pain. He drank leisurely, savoring the taste of my blood.
About two minutes later, he pulled his fangs out of my neck, and licked the two holes he had created. I felt them close instantly, and Blake helped me to my feet.
"Sorry about that. I was thirsty," he said simply, smiling. There was a touch of blood slowly making its way down his chin.
Without even thinking, I leaned over and trailed my tongue up his chin, licking off my blood. I left my tongue at the corner of his mouth, and Blake slowly turned his head so we were locked in a kiss.