5

Okay, weirdest dream ever.

As I walked down the stairs, dressed in a pair of blue skinny jeans, a white spaghetti-strap top and my hair tied into a high ponytail, I couldn't help but think of the strange dream I had last night. Strange, and, ahem, slightly R-rated. The dream might have involved a certain vampire...maybe.

Of course, then I started worrying about something else when I entered the kitchen, when I found a tall, unfamiliar brown-haired man there, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

He looked up, our eyes met, we blinked quizically at each other.

Er...

"Oh!" He suddenly said, "You must be Hollie."

"Yeah," I replied, still confused, "And you are...?"

"Hugo."

Hugo; now where had I heard that before? "Oh, Isabel's guy!" I suddenly exclaimed, remembering Godric telling me about Isabel's 'human companion; Hugo'.

He smiled handsomely and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," I replied, shaking his hand.

I sat down, nodding my head when he offered to pour me a cup of coffee. "Thank you," I smiled, pulling the mug towards me. "So, how come I haven't seen you around?"

"Oh, I haven't been here in a while," He said, sitting down across from me, "Isabel and I..."

He didn't finish his sentence, instead his lips were pressed together into a thin line and I noticed the grip on his coffee mug tighten.

"...Had a fight?" I guessed.

He snapped out of his thoughts, lifting his gaze back towards me and smiling apologetically. "Sorry. Yeah, we had a fight."

"Oh, that's too bad," I said before taking a sip of my coffee, "But, you know, couples fight; it's nothing out of the ordinary. And obviously you're passed it, since you're back."

He nodded his head, staring down at his coffee. "Yeah," He replied absent-mindedly, before clearing his throat. "So, are you seeing anyone?"

"Nope," I replied, popping the 'P', "I was, a few months ago, but that's over."

"What happened?" He asked, "If you don't mind me asking."

"We'd been going out for almost a year," I began, "And I really cared about him; he was such a sweet guy, and so nice. You know, I haven't told any of my friends here about my dad, because it didn't work out so well the last time I told someone."

He nodded. Obviously, Isabel had told him about me.

"But, I trusted James, and I was even beginning to think that maybe I loved him; so I decided it was time to tell him the truth."

"Let me guess," Hugo smiled sadly, "He didn't take it well?"

"Actually," I chuckled humourlessly, "He took it too well. He said that his feelings for me wouldn't change based on what my father was. In fact, he invited me over that night to have dinner with his parents; whom I had met a few times before."

"Did you go?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," I paused to take another sip of my coffee, "It turned out him and his entirely family were vampire haters."

"So, while they didn't have anything against me, they certainly had something against my father," I continued, "They kept telling me that I should leave my father, and join their family and their church. They told me that my father didn't care about me and was dangerous, and that he was probably going to kill me soon, and that they could save me."

I rolled my eyes.

"What a bunch of crap," I continued bitterly.

"And that's when you broke up with your boyfriend?" Hugo guessed.

"Yeah," I nodded, "The conversation continued for a bit before I stormed out, James followed me and told me I was being unreasonable. I told him I couldn't be with someone like him, and that it was over."

Hugo frowned. "And you didn't know before...?"

"Know that he was a manipulative and hateful person? Nope," I shook my head, "And I felt really dumb for being with the guy for a year and not having noticed that. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I actually didn't know that much about him at all."

I know; I was an idiot.

"I guess that's the difference between a relationship between two, dumb teenagers, and the kind of mature relationship you and Isabel have, right?"

He laughed softly. "Right."

I glanced down at my watch. "I've got to go to work," I said as I stood up, and grabbed my bag. "It was nice talking to you; I'm usually alone here during the day."

Hugo smiled. "It was nice talking to you too, I'll see you later."

"Man, I don't know how you do it."

I had just finished serving the customer when Ed, whom I believe I've already mentionned, let out a low whistle. Ed Banerjee was another member of our group, his family had moved here from India when he was quite young. There was never a dull moment around Ed; who was a ball of energy and also quite the prankster.

I glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow as I began wiping the counter.

"Do what?"

"You know," He shrugged, "The whole waitressing thing; taking orders, pouring coffee, distinguishing the different types of muffins from each other; how do you know which one is raspberry and which one is strawberry?"

"Yeah," I laughed, "It's quite challenging."

I should mention, Ed's family is also quite rich, and he's never had to work a single job in his entire life.

The conversation about my challenging job came to an end when the door opened, and Marc and Matthew entered the cafe. "Yo!" Ed greeted them immediately, and they all did that weird man-handshake-hug thing.

"Hey guys," I smiled, "Can I get you anything?"

"Geez Hollie," Marc grinned, "Do you work every day?"

I shrugged. "I need the money, and I actually like working here."

"I'll have a raspberry muffin," Matthew said.

I nodded, pulling out a raspberry muffin almost immediately ("Amazing," Ed whispered in awe). "So," I placed the muffin in front of him, "How did your date go last time?"

"Oh yeah!" Ed cut in, "She was hot."

Matthew shrugged his shoulders as he placed a piece of the muffin into his mouth. "It went fine," He said simply, "I'm seeing her again soon."

"Did you guys...you know..." Marc wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "Really, must we talk about this?"

Marc glanced at me. "You brought it up."

"I asked how his date went," I began dryly, "I didn't go into the details; like you're about to."

"Hey, where's Adam?" Ed asked, thankfully changing the subject.

Matthew, also thankful that the subject had changed before he had to answer any personal questions, told us that Adam, was spending the day shopping for his mother's birthday; and had taken Gwen and Bridget with him for help.

"Aw," I pouted, "Why didn't he ask me to go?"

"Maybe because you're working?" Marc raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. Right."

No, no, this couldn't be happening.

My eyes were wide with horror, my heart beating wildly against my chest as my whole body shook with terror. I swallowed hard, pressing my back against the wall in order to get as far away from it as I could.

The door to my room opened, and Godric was suddenly next to me. "What's wrong?" He asked, his voice both concerned and worried.

"L-Look!"

He followed my gaze, his eyes landing on the spider that was on my closet door. The eight-legged creature moved, and I let out a shriek as I hid myself behind Godric. "Get it, get it!"

He blinked in confusion before glancing at me over his shoulder. "The spider is the cause of your fear?"

My eyes narrowed in annoyance. If you tell any woman you're afraid of a spider, they nod their heads in agreement; they totally get you. If you tell a guy that you're afraid of a spider; they give you an odd look, most of the time they laugh, and then they lecture you on your ridiculous fear, ("Do you know how big you are compared to that spider? It should be afraid of you" -Pff, whatever).

"Yes, the spider is the cause of my fear!" I hissed, "Please get rid of it!"

He was about to take a step forward when I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "But don't kill it! Just...throw it out the window or something."

I watched nervously as Godric trapped the spider in his hands, and walked over to the window, and tossed it outside. "Now close the window before it comes back for revenge!" I told him, and while I'm sure he thought I was crazy, he complied.

I closed my eyes, placing a hand over my heart and letting out a loud sigh of relief. In case you hadn't noticed; I hate spiders. When I opened my eyes, I blinked when I realized Godric was staring at me; he looked both confused and amused, with the corners of lips slightly lifted upward.

"What?" I asked self-consciously, crossing my arms over my chest.

He shook his head, still seeming amused. "Humans never cease to amaze me," He began, "You have no problem being around vampires, and yet when facing a small spider..."

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled grumpily, "It's a phobia; phobias aren't rational..."

I could feel my cheeks heat up as he continued staring at me. He must have thought I was a complete idiot, but hey; I know I could find a bunch of girls who would have had the same reaction as me when facing a spider...and maybe even a few guys;like Adam!

"So," I decided to change the subject, "Did you feel my fear? Is that how you got here so quick?"

He nodded his head. "Yes; like I said, the fact that I've given you my blood means that I can feel your emotions."

"Huh," I sat down on the edge of my bed, "Isn't that annoying for you?"

He didn't respond right away, and his silence made me worry. What if it really was bothering him to have to constantly feel my emotions? I mean every time I felt afraid, or embarrassed, or angry, or sad; he would feel it. That must have been a pain in the ass.

He must have felt my guilt, because he immediately responded. "It does not bother me," He said, "In fact, it's interesting for me to feel emotions that I myself have not felt in...quite some time."

"Like what?" I asked curiously.

He smiled faintly. "Embarassement, for example."

For some reason, my thoughts went back to my dreams of last night; my R-rated dream. Immediately, I felt my face heat up. Oh my God, did Godric know about my dream? Had he felt my...Oh, God no...And now he could feel my embarrassement!

I groaned, stuffing my face into my hands.

If feeling my emotions wasn't a problem for him, it certainly was for me.

"There is no need to feel embarrassed," He said, and I could detect the amusement in his voice.

"Easy for you to say," I grumbled.

I let out a sigh as I grabbed my cell phone to check the time. I wanted to go shopping for a gift for Anne, Adam's mom, for her birthday. The mall was going to close in two hours so I had to get going.

"Are you going somewhere?" Godric asked as I grabbed my purse.

"Yup, I'm going to the mall," I told him, "I'll just take the bus and...Okay, you've got to stop glaring at me every time I mention going out. I have your blood in me, remember? You'll know if anything is wrong."

"That doesn't mean I'll be able to get to you in time," He pointed out softly.

"Well, I really have to go to the mall," I sighed, "Why don't you just come with me?"

He seemed to consider this before he nodded his head.

It was obvious that Godric didn't come to the mall often. He seemed like the type of person who liked his peace and quiet, and the mall was a loud and crowded place. I decided to make this quick to end his suffering.

"Any ideas for a gift?" I asked as we walked, "It's my friend's mom's birthday, and she's been really nice to me so I want to get her something."

Godric shook his head. "I'm afraid I am not the person to ask," He admitted, "Though I do hear that women like to receive jewerly."

"This is true," I nodded, "But we like to receive jewelry from men; it shows us that they care. Or makes us think that they care...Anyways, I don't really know her taste."

"I told you I wouldn't be of much help," He smiled faintly.

I opened my mouth to respond when I heard someone call my name. Looking over my shoulder, I found both Ed and Matthew making their way towards me, each of them holding two ice cream cones in their hands.

"Hollie!" Ed greeted cheerfully, "I'd give you a hug, but my hands are full!"

"Hey," I said in surprise, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're on a date," Matthew responded immediately.

"Not with each other though," Ed quickly clarified.

I blinked. "Really, the both of you?"

Ed grinned. "Matthew set me up with one of Claire's, the girl he's dating, friend. We're on a double date," He wiggled his eyebrows, and I laughed.

It was only when I noticed Matthew eyeing Godric that I remembered that I hadn't yet introduced them to each other. "Oh, guys, this is my good friend, Godric. Godric, these are my friends Matthew and Ed."

"Nice to meet you," Ed said pleasantly.

"It's nice to meet you too," Godric replied.

I noticed that Matthew hadn't said anything, which was strange; he was usually quite friendly. But right now he was just staring blankly at Godric.

"So, anyways," I cleared my throat, "Where are your dates?"

Matthew nodded his head over to a bench, where two beautiful, young women were sitting down, talking quietly. My jaw nearly fell open. "Holy...what are they, models?"

"I know, right?" Ed said cheerfully, "Anyways, we got to go. We'll see you later!"

He made sure to bump his hip into mine before he left. Matthew didn't even say goodbye; I had no idea what the hell was up with him.

"Yeah, okay. Bye"

Godric waited until they were gone before he spoke. "Your friends seem...interesting," He said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah," I snorted, "You should see them when they're all together in one room; it's like one ball of crazy. I don't know what was up with Matthew though, he's usually nicer than that."

"Would you like me to tell you?" Godric offered, and there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

I looked at him curiously. "Tell me what?"

"I do believe," He began, "That your friend, Matthew, has feelings for you."

I stared at him blankly for a few seconds, before a short laugh escaped my lips. "You think Matthew likes me?" I shook my head, "There's no way."

"His heart rate increased at the sight of you," He pointed out, "His pupils dilated...And I do believe the reason he didn't react warmly to me is because he believes I might be a threat."

I could feel my cheeks turning red as I considered the possibility of Matthew actually liking me. I quickly dismissed the thought though; Matthew only saw me as a friend. "No, that's just not possible."

"Why not?"

"B-Because...He..." I paused, "Okay, did you see that girl he was with? There's no way he could be into me when he's able to get a girl like that."

"Why not?" He repeated, seeming genuinely confused.

"Okay, if you had to choose between a tall, beautiful, blue-eyed blonde, and a short, black-haired, brown-eyed girl; which would you choose?"

"Looks mean very little to me," He replied honestly.

Aw.

"Unfortunately, that's not the case for most guys. Besides, if he likes me, how come he's been going out with a different girl each week recently?"

"Perhaps, to make you jealous?" He suggested.

I thought this over; but it just seemed ridiculous. Matthew had never shown any indication that he liked me more than a friend. Still, I shrugged my shoulders and admitted the possibility. "Maybe."

My eyes then landed on a shop; and I knew exactly what to get Anne for her birthday.

A/N Hello! I hope you liked the chapter; please review and tell me what you think!