The Time I Woke Up Dead

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

            Two months went by, so did the holidays. It was freezing outside so whenever Will and I weren’t working we stayed inside. Sometimes Ash and Spencer would come over, but for the most part Will and I spent a lot of time alone. As our friendship grew, so did our physical attraction for each other. I knew that no good could come from acting on it though. I saw the way he looked at me, and I knew that if we kissed, it would mean more for him than it would for me. We were physical with each other. We hugged each other and held hands.

            “What are you thinking about?” Will asked sitting on the couch next to me. I looked at him and smiled.

            “Nothing, just reflecting on the last couple of months.” I said softly.

            “You’re so beautiful, you know that?” He whispered pushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

            “So are you.” I laughed.

            “I’m serious.” He stated softly.

            “I know. I really like you, Will, but we are friends.” I smiled.

            “I know we are.” He replied before leaning in closer to me. “I think I love you.” He whispered on my lips.

            Before I could stop him, he kissed me. It was soft and innocent at first before it grew to be much more heated. I surprised myself when I began to kiss him back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he carefully pulled me into his lap. He placed each of his hands on either side of my waste as the kiss deepened. His lips encircled my bottom lip and tugged on it. I smiled. When I didn’t give in and open my mouth he lightly bit down. I gasped and he took that opportunity to slide his tongue into my mouth we made out for another minute before someone knocked on the door. We pulled apart panting. Will smiled at me, his eyes dazed. He lift me off of me and gently placed me on the couch next to me.

            “I’ll get it.” He said breathlessly as he got up and went to the door.

            I touched my lips and sighed. The kiss was nice, but there was no electricity, not like with Max. I felt guilty because I wished I could like Will as much as he liked me. I could use a nice guy like him as more than a friend.

            “Annabelle, it’s for you?” Will said looking confused as he came back over to me.

            “Really, who is it?” I asked just as confused as him. I made my way to the door, Will had left it open a crack. My stomach fluttered nervously as I reached for the door knob. There he was standing there. He smiled at me, I smiled back.

            “Hello, Annabelle.” Jay said pulling me into a tight hug.

            “Jay! What are you doing here?” I said smiling.

            “I missed you, my dear. May I come in?” He asked releasing me from the hug.

            “Yes, of course!” I exclaimed closing the door behind him. I walked him over to the living room and we both sat on the couch. I turned to look at Will so I could introduce them; he was staring angrily at Jay before making eye contact with me. I gave him a confused look and then looked back at Jay. “Jay, this is Will; Will this is my friend Jay.” I introduced. When I said the word ‘friend’ Will’s face relaxed.

            “Nice to meet you, shifter.” Jay said reaching out his hand to shake Will’s.

            “Nice to meet you too, vampire.” Will laughed shaking his hand. I smiled at how well they were getting along.

            “So, Annabelle, how long have you been here? We have been looking for you everywhere.” Jay asked.

            “The last two months, and who’s ‘we’?” I asked

            “Me, Maggie, and even Max.” Jay replied.

            “How is Maggie?”

            “She misses you, and she’s pissed at Max for driving you away.”

            “Who’s Max?” Will asked. I had forgotten he was there.

            “You didn’t tell him about us.” Jay asked.

            “Not really. I ran away, Jay. I just wanted to forget everything.” I said sadly.

            “Who’s Max?” Will asked again.

            “The guy who changed her.” Jay answered for me.

            “Annabelle, why did you leave?” Will asked.

            “Because of Max. Other than that, I don’t want to talk about it.” I said softly.

            “Okay.” Will said kindly.

            “I missed you.” Jay remarked placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Is it okay if I stay here tonight?” Jay asked.

            “Of course.” I smiled. “You can stay in my room.”

            Will didn’t like that idea; his face showed he wasn’t happy. I didn’t care. Jay and I had slept with each other before; I was perfectly comfortable doing it again. Luckily I had the night off from the bar, I felt bad that Will didn’t have work either; this would be a rather uncomfortable night.

            When it got dark outside, we headed to my room. I got dressed for bed and Jay climbed in next to me.

            “So, how long has he been in love with you?” Jay asked with a playful smile on his lips.

            “I don’t know, but I did a terrible thing earlier.” I replied.

            “You kissed him, didn’t you?” Jay asked.

            “I kissed him back, he started it. You interrupted us.” I scoffed.

            “He seems nice; you deserve to be with someone like him.”

            “I don’t love him like that. I don’t think I can, I think I am in love with Max.” I whispered.

            “Well then, at least you have a play thing for a while.”  He laughed.

            “Jay, that’s mean. I really care about him.”

            “Then maybe you should give it a try.” He whispered.