Love Bite | Yandere!Vampires x F!Reader

11: Impending Danger

True to his word, it doesn't take long to reach Caleb's apartment, and he pauses before unlocking the door, a sheepish look overtaking his expression.

"Um," he blushes, "I haven't really cleaned up recently, so I'm sorry if it's a bit messy."

You chuckle. "Relax. I'm hardly one to judge. I should show you my apartment at some point. Then you'll get where I'm coming from."

"You'd be okay with me coming over?" he blinks.

"Hm? Yeah, of course. My place is pretty crappy, but if you don't mind checking it out at some point, I'd be happy to have you." You smile happily. "We're friends, right?"

Caleb's blush deepens, and after a hasty nod, he opens the door and steps aside to grant you entry.

You're not sure what mess he was talking about, because the place looks perfectly fine to you. As expected, it's nicer than your apartment. You know that Caleb isn't drowning in money either, but without any debts weighing him down, he's been able to do pretty well for himself.

You'd like to think that one day, once you've put this whole nightmare behind you, you'll be able to thrive too.

"Make yourself comfortable," Caleb smiles. He starts unloading the groceries he bought, most of which are snacks, and he lays them out into various bowls.

You sit down on the couch and wait for him. He's around your age, so he lives alone, but you've heard him briefly mention his family once or twice. You're not sure where exactly they live, but they definitely stay in touch. He's got a younger brother, from what you remember.

All your family's ever done is let you down. But at some point, once you're doing better financially and have found yourself a proper career, you'd like to start a family of your own. And you swear to never mistreat your future children or burden them, the way your own parents did.

"Did you remember something funny?" Caleb asks. He brings the bowls over and sets them onto the coffee table, then plops down onto the couch. "You're smiling," he remarks.

"Huh? Oh. Not really. I was just... thinking of the future. I'm trying to imagine things to look forward to, I guess."

You know that starting a family is impossible right now, not to mention that you're still so young. For the time being, you need to focus on yourself. If you stay diligent and do whatever you can to get through the most difficult period in your life, then only good things await you.

Surely.

Caleb smiles again. "Yeah. There's lots of things to look forward to in life. Even when everything seems really hard, don't give up. It'll be worth it in the end."

You don't mean to, but when he utters the words, you find yourself staring at his injured nose. The swelling has gone down by now, but some of the bruising still remains, and you're sure that even if he won't admit to it, recovering hasn't been an easy process.

"Does it still hurt a lot?" you can't help but ask.

"Huh? Ah, you mean my nose." Caleb gently pats the area, then grins. "Nah, it's a lot better now. The painkillers they prescribed me really helped. It's no big deal, and best of all, it doesn't look crooked or anything, right? U-Unless the doctor was lying to me when he said he was able to align it nicely..."

"It looks fine," you reassure. "I just feel bad that you've had to suffer for no reason."

Remembering your meeting with Kai earlier, and how he didn't feel guilty in the slightest, just adds to the feeling of injustice. Life has always been unfair, and you know that all too well, but still. It sucks when good people like Caleb get screwed over.