Till Death Unites Us

Chapter 8

Still reeling from yesterday's revelations, I find it hard to concentrate on my book, eventually closing it and putting it back on the shelf.

I can't believe Ace Moreno is haunting my thoughts; he has that way of maneuvering his way into my life with his gorgeous smiles, smirks and dry sense of humor.

And his soft side, which short-lasting as it is, is something I look forward to.

"God, why does this happen to me?" I wonder out loud.

"Because you deserve a good man." A voice comes from behind me.

"God, is that you?" I ask, turn around, and jump at least six feet in the air. "Oh my god!" I yell at Ace who is just coming through my window nonchalantly.

"Call me Ace." He smirks.

"Ever heard of a door?" I snap at him.

He stands in the middle of my room, smiles to himself, and says, "That wouldn't be fun now would it?"

"I knew it. God would never call you a good man." I shake my head, and he chuckles.

"I like your room." He says, chuckling. I slap him. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"You can't keep doing that! You can't just keep showing out of nowhere and giving me a heart attack! If you want me to die, just let me die fast!"

"The window was open. Just thought I would let you know." SLAP! "OW!" He holds his cheek and gives me a wounded puppy look.

And then he goes and flops down on my bed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I say, "Get out!" I try to push him off the bed but he doesn't budge. I try to ignore how strong his torso feels under my hands. Instead, he takes the teddy bear off my bed and hugs it, looking up at me with those blue eyes. Bastard!

"What do you want now, Ace?"

Letting go of Mr. Bear, he reaches out grabs my arm, making me land on top of him, my head buried in his chest. He looks down at me. "Do you want to conduct our lessons now? Or do you have any other fun activities in mind?" I glare at him as he smirks. SLAP! 

"Shit! Eternity, stop! I'm not a damn piñata!"

"You provoke me… pervert!" I say and start to get off him only to have him grab my waist again. Is he gonna rape me? I panic.

"Well, you need someone to teach you how to control these visions," he says as he strokes my lower back, a movement that sends shivers down my spine. "I don't bleed, you know, so you probably don't have to," he continues, his eyes filling with lust.

"Then, why do I bleed?"

"You're not prepared when these visions come upon you, so they take your body by surprise and blood rushes out because it stresses you out. Consider it your time of the month, expect that it's daily." He says, wiggling his eyebrows seductively.

"That's it! You're getting out." I say firmly as I get out of the bed.

"So you'd rather bleed to death than come with me? I'm your only chance, Eternity." He says in a matter of a fact way as he too hops out of the bed.

He extends his hand to me and says, "Come with me, just this time, Eternity. I promise youwon't regret it." His face sobers up.

***

I inhale the sweet scent of cinnamon buns and coffee. Ace leads me to a booth at the far corner of the Little Owl, and I try as hard as I can to ignore the warmth of his hand holding mine. He holds the chair for me as I settle down and sits right across from me. Cassy comes by and smiles at him, "What can I get you, handsome?" then, she looks at me, " Eternity! I didn't see you there."

"Hey, Cassy." I smile at her, knowing she was distracted by Ace, and I honestly don't blame her. What is he doing now?! Oh my god, that jerk is flirting with her! Should I bolt out and ditch him?! Shit! I'm jealous! No! No! I'm just not in my right mind. Plus, I'm just concerned for my friend. I glare at Ace as he smiles THAT smile at her. Once Cassy is gone , he smirks at me. "Would you like to get started?"

I contain all my anger and reply emotionlessly, "Whatever."

He shrugs off my distant response and starts, "The key controlling the visions is to admit this is a part of you now. This darkness inside you, whatever caused it, is entwined with you now. You need to be ready for it whenever it happens. It is one of your senses now, treat it like it is not different from hearing or seeing, hell, even hunger." He raises his eyebrows to prove his point.

"How the hell am I supposed to get used to nausea and the taste of blood in my mouth? These things are just slightly different from the common urge to pee." I say sarcastically.

His eyes widen, "Wait, you feel nauseous?" He leans closer. "Describe to me exactly how you feel during those visions." When he sees the alarmed expression on my face, he reaches out and holds my hand across the table. "It's okay, Eternity, you can tell me."

            I look at him, surprised at the sincerity in his voice. Where was the rude Ace who called me infinity? Taking a deep breath, I say, "I get that metallic taste in my mouth, it is like blood racing into my mouth you know, and then I feel dizzy and that nausea takes hold of me. Then there is that smell…" His hold on my hand tightens. "It is…like…burning flesh." I shut my eyes tightly.

He is about to reply when Cassy returns with our food, smiling at Ace. Serving us our food, she winks at me before going away. I shake my head, knowing I will be bombarded with questions next time I'm here alone.

            "So….these things." I start. "They don't happen to you?"

He shrugs. "Well, I used to get the dizziness at first, and there was the bleeding too. You can imagine waking up from a nightmare with your shoulder bleeding." He laughs and I find myself smiling back.

"I can imagine, yeah." I say, sinking more into my seat. I start diving into my sandwich as he continues talking.

"I don't know where the nausea and…the smell…come from though." He says quietly and I sigh, then he reaches into my plate and steals a couple of fries.

"Hey!" I snap, pulling my plate further away from him. "You can mess with my hair, but don't you dare touch my food!" He bursts out laughing, and I can't help but revel in the sound of it, joining the laugh despite myself.

***************** 

So, what do you think of this caring Ace? Do you like him better than his normal rude self? We doubt it! :P Anyway, don't forget to vote and comment! XD   -M&N