three's a crowd

Didyme

A/N: Cameron goes on a date, but is still overwhelmed.

Aro and I spend the entire afternoon there, quietly lying in the grass. I realize I haven't really felt at ease around him until now, until this very moment. It was strangely comforting, to have the king of vampires, my supposed mate, lying in the grass with me.

After what feels like eternity and too soon at the same time, he sits up.

"You haven't eaten yet." He says, and I open my eyes, the spell broken. For a moment, I freeze at the sight of him, my heart skipping a beat. His silky black hair is draped loosely over his shoulders and back, catching the light of the sun that's going down slowly. His skin is so pale he might've been dead, his red eyes focused on me. He's beautiful, everything about his face elegant and strong, and once again I wonder why I am his mate. They were all so much more than I was. It almost felt rude of me to be here.

"What are you thinking about?" He asks gently, and I'm grateful he doesn't try to look into my mind instead.

"That I would like to get some pasta. Do you think we can go to a restaurant?" I ask him casually, diverting my own attention. He clearly notices, judging by the way his eyebrows lift a little, but he doesn't say anything.

"Like a date?" He asks instead, eyes lighting up eagerly at his own words. I pause for a moment.

"Sure, like a date. I want to get to know you." I say with a smile. The smile he grants me could extinguish the moon.

He gets up and before I can, his hand is already supporting me by the elbow, easily dragging me up. Once again, I notice how he's careful to touch the fabric of the dress and not me.

"Do I need to change clothes?" I ask, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

"Of course not, you look perfect. Did you pick that out yesterday?" Aro asks, offering me his arm with a charming smile. I'm assuming he notices it's not one of the things he picked out. How detailed were his powers? Did he remember all those details about everyone? I take his arm and am startled by the strong feeling of his marble skin underneath his cloak. After all these years with vampires, you'd think I'd gotten used to things like this. Guess not.

"Sulpicia picked it for me." I answer, and he falls silent at that. Awkward.

"Ophelia, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. We all wanted to tell you as soon as possible, but we did not want to scare you." He says as he stops and turns to look at me. I look up at him in return, noticing how he's about a head taller than me. Marcus and Caius were even taller, I believe.

"I understand, Aro. It's overwhelming, but it would've been overwhelming at any time." I admit, giving him a tiny smile.

"We can take things slow, like you said." He says reassuringly, and then we continue our way through the gardens. Soon, we enter the castle again, only to leave it through the main gates. The two vampires that stand guard there don't say anything, but they remind me of my own.

"Is Felix here?" I ask him, looking around to see if I can spot him.

"No, only my guards are, but you won't see them. You're just as safe with them." Aro says, assuming I'm scared.

"That's good, he's probably very bored with me already." I admit, making him chuckle. It's a beautiful, rich, deep laugh, and I find myself wanting to make him laugh more.

"Felix has never been patient. It surprised me that he agreed to be your guard, if I'm being honest." Aro says after he stops laughing.

"Really? Why?" I ask, curious.