Plunged into Darkness (blind human/vampire)

Chapter 21

“I can be ‘macho’ and still make pasta.” I tossed the things I’d already chopped into the water then turned back around. She’d put her arms back on the counter again.

“I guess, I just didn’t figure you for the one to really know how to cook.”

I grinned, leaning over the counter slightly. “I was alive once. Besides,” I leaned back and picked up the knife again. “I’ve cooked for a few people between then and now.”

I started to chop the last few things and noticed that she immediately pulled her arms off the counter, folding them in her lap.

I smirked as I turned and poured the last of it into the water, using the knife to brush it into the pot. “Do you not trust me?” I asked, turning back around.

“What?” she asked with a confused look.

“Nervous I’ll miss and cut you?” I said again as I stepped around the corner of the island, coming up beside her.

She shook her head slowly, starting to smile then froze, straightening up. “Jesse, are you still holding the knife?” She turned her head back and forth slightly, running through the last few minutes in her head, probably trying to think if she heard me set it down or not.

I glanced down at the knife I was still holding and shrugged. “Yes.”

She straightened up, looking nervous, and leaned away a bit. “Why do you still have the knife?”

“I just haven’t set it down yet,” I said, a little of my aggravation coming out in my voice. She didn’t seriously think I’d hurt her, did she?

“Jesse,” she said quietly as I stepped closer to her.

I tossed the knife on the counter, letting it make a loud noise as it landed. She jumped and I sighed. “El, I’m not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you.”

She looked toward the stove. “You’re not overcooking it are you?” I knew she was just trying to get me to move away, but she did have a point.

I walked back over to the stove and drained the water then poured the sauce in the pan, mixed it up, and set it back on the burner. When I turned back around she was standing up.

“El,” I said softly as I walked back over to her. “I would never hurt you.”

She smiled a little. “I know . . . I just get scared some times. It’s hard to trust people when you can’t read their eyes or body language. You just don’t know what they’re going to do most of the time. It’s all a guess.”

I lightly put a hand on the side of her face. “You can trust me.”

That sweet smile of hers spread across her face as she nodded and I could see that little bit of trust in her eyes.

“You have such beautiful eyes,” I said quietly, staring into them.

She blushed then suddenly looked a little worried and turned, starting to walk away. “I should-“

“El,” I said, catching her arm and slowly pulling her back, “please don’t go.”

She shook her head slightly, leaning back.

“I won’t hurt you,” I whispered, lightly wrapping an arm around her.

I started to lean toward her, smiling as I saw her slowly move my way too, then froze as the timer buzzed loudly.

“Food’s ready,” she said quietly before slipping out of my arms and leaning on the counter. “Could you make me a plate since I can’t see what I’m doing?”

I sighed then walked over and started filling her a plate. Strike two.

“Usually I do pretty good getting my own at home when it’s just me a Jack, maybe Jenna. But I’d be too nervous that I’d do something wrong and make a mess, then I probably would. I’m still not too comfortable around other people with the whole thing and-“

“El,” I said gently, holding out the food then taking her hand and lifting it to plate, “you’re rambling.”

“Right,” she said quietly as she took the plate. “Thanks.” She then turned and walked back to her stool, sitting down and eating slowly.

“Are you going to eat any?” she asked in between her small bites.

I smiled. “No. I don’t eat.”

She blinked then looked down, giving a small smile. “Right, sorry.”

“I could eat if I needed to,” I said, leaning forward on the counter just opposite of her, “but I don’t feel like I need to put up a façade fight now.”

“So you’re just going to stand there and watch me eat?” she asked, sounding a little nervous. Apparently she didn’t like people watching her eat.

“Jesse,” Chance said from the doorway, making El jump.

I looked up calmly, raising my eyebrows slightly in question.

“I need to talk to you out here,” he said, anger coating his words.

I sighed and rolled my eyes then stood up. “Well I suppose not,” I said, answering El’s question, “Just yell if you need anything.”

I lightly touched her shoulder as I walked past then followed Chance down the hall and into one of the sitting rooms.

He had just fed and was still worked up, his eyes were even still glowing, so I knew whatever he wanted to talk to me about wasn’t going to be good.

He turned to face me, growling. “You like her, don’t you?”

I stood there blinking at him for a moment then crossed my arms. “No, but what does that have to do with anything?”

He growled again then shoved me back. “You liar! You do to.”

I narrowed my eyes, regaining my footing. “What are you, five?”

“Just admit it; you have feelings for that girl.”

“Right after you admit it,” I growled back, really starting to get ticked off.

He froze, looking at me in surprise. Come on, even a blind person could see he liked her . . . no offence to blind people . . . like El.

“I don’t like her like that, I barely like her period.”

I smirked, folding my arms again. “If you didn’t like her then you wouldn’t be getting so mad at me for liking her.”

He stood there for a second, staring to the side as he shifted his weight back and forth, thinking it over. He then shrugged, giving in to the accusation, and turned around to glare at me.

“Just stay away from her.”

I laughed, which only made him angrier. “It’s kind of hard since I’m helping watch her.”

“You know what I mean,” he growled moving closer, “Don’t even think about making a move on her.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Making a move on her? Really? You couldn’t think of something that sounded less . . . I don’t know, high school?”

“I mean it J,” he growled, “don’t even think about it.”

I smirked and he snapped, throwing his fist toward my face as he pushed me back into a wall. My smile dropped as the rage built up inside of me. I quickly caught his arm then spun around grabbing his neck and shoving him hard into the wall.

“You should stay away from her,” I growled low, feeling my control slipping away. “I’ll do anything to keep her safe, you got that? And if you do anything to hurt her, I swear-“

He growled, pulling my hand away from his neck enough to speak. “I’m not the one that’s going to hurt her. Looked in a mirror lately prince of darkness?”

I blinked then let go, dropping him to his feet. I didn’t have to look in the mirror to know my sharp fangs had grown down completely and my eyes were glowing fiercely. He was right; I needed to cool off before I accidentally did something to El.