Don't Stay Dead

Chapter Ten

Sometime after, we both lay on the bed, hands and bodies entwined as we came back down from the rush of enjoying each other. My breathing was heavy, a bit labored as I rested, eyes still blinking rapidly in disbelief. I had warmed myself just a bit to make things a bit more comfortable for her, but I still had the fangs. I turned to look at her finally, and her smile was lazy and content. She reached out and brushed some of my hair off of my face, before her hands tangled in a few of my curls.

"Did you know how stunning you are?" she asked, and I shook my head. "Well, you are. You said you hide it? For a reason?" I looked at her, then at the ceiling, before I nodded. "Is it the mental health thing you're struggling with right now?" I sighed heavily, before waffling my hand back and forth.

"A little bit yes, mostly no. When I said it was a protection mechanism, I..." I trailed off, with a short sigh. "I don't... I've never talked about this with anyone. Hell, you're the only one who knows what I am, now." I looked at her, then released her hand, as I disentangled our bodies. I sat up against the wall at the head of the bed, putting my arms on my bent knees. "I, Uh... I was a cold case." I said simply, and she just looked at me, frowning.

"You mean the person who turned–?" she started to ask, but I shook my head.

"No. That person saved my life, but he lost his own in the process. I still don't know what that was all about, maybe I never will." I said, pausing briefly to shake my head. "Before that, I uh... No, I made a mistake. I didn't pursue an interest I should have, for one thing, but I trusted someone I shouldn't have, even though my inner gut told me there was something a little bit off. Usually when it's something really bad I can tell, and I listen, and I'm good. But that time it wasn't, it was small, and I ignored it. It uh... didn't end well." I said, as I looked down, locking my arms around my knees as I rocked a little bit.

"So you hide from him?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"No, he's... they took care of him. The case is finally closed, for me and the others he did this to, as well. He's no longer a threat. Hell, I don't even technically exist anymore, as of a few months ago. But it's... You know, it's essentially my hometown. I never had a big circle of friends and I wasn't well-known, but up until the case was solved, it would have caused a lot of problems for me to just randomly show up. My appearance has changed enough that I wouldn't be immediately noticed, but still. I haven't gotten out of that habit yet, either. I don't know if I ever will." I stated, taking a deep breath.

She reached out, and gently stroked the side of my thigh, as she looked up at me. "How long?" she asked, and I turned to her, puzzled.

"Since what, since I died? Since I came back to town?" I asked in response, and she just shrugged to indicate either one.

"Well, let's see... Almost 4 years, and a little over nine months, respectively." she looked up at me, her head tilted. I looked over at her, and she gave me a questioning smile. I raised my eyebrow in response.

"Do you want to talk about it? What happened? Any of it, all of it, anything you're comfortable sharing?" she asked, and it was my turn to tilt my head. I gave her a half-smile.

"Okay, um... the guy was someone I worked with, at my job at a little cafe. I loved that place, I still do. I stayed for five years, and I would have been there longer if I hadn't made the rash decision to take a job that seemed too good to be true, all the way across the country." My smile was rueful, before I continued. "He only worked there one night a week, as a break from his mundane, boring day job, he said. But, he was part of the going-away party the rest of the group threw for me, and it seemed natural for him to be there. I got a little buzzed, not super drunk, but you know. I decided to walk home, and he met me outside, a little ways away from the bar we were at." My eyes stared at the opposite wall, as I recounted my tale.