Love At First Bite

Grand Tour

"So that was the family room. And this is Zaiden's room." Dalton leads me to a room through a long hall and to the left. "Wow. This is huge." I say, gaping at all the space. His walls are a golden color while the floor is brown like the ceiling. Not a single thing is out of place. I spot a picture of what looks like a young boy with his parents. "Is this Zaiden?" I ask, pointing to the picture. Dalton nods. "Those were his parents. His father passed away, and his mother was too ill to take care of him. So he was put up for adoption. Finally he reached thirteen and he knew he wasn't going to get adopted, so he ran away. And then I found him. As far as we know, his mother passed soon after giving birth." Dalton explains. "That's horrible." I said. "You have no idea." Dalton mutters. "Ok. Let's go on."

He leads me across the hall. "This is Ruben's room." Once again, I'm shocked at the space. It looks similar to Zaiden's, only the walls are a dark green. Pictures and posters are on the walls, making it more livelier than Zaiden's. "Is this the picture you were talking about?" I ask him. It's a picture of a younger looking Ruben with a boy who has black hair and gray eyes. He nodded. "That was his bud Christopher. They...hit a rough patch a few years ago." Both the boys have sharp teeth, like everyone in this family. Even Zaiden's Dad did. "Anyway, now to my room." Dalton cuts into my thoughts. His room is in another hallway altogether. I was getting so lost, it was like walking around a school for the first time. "Here we are." His room is different. It has a different vibe than his brothers. For starters, the walls are blue. It seems fitting for him. And the floor is black instead of brown. The ceiling is the same in every room. He has a royal looking bed with a top overhead and everything. "Jeez, are you guys secretly rich?" I ask, looking around. Dalton laughs, watching me move around his room, picking things up and getting a closer look. "You must like books. And music. And games." I take an estimated guess as I look at all the stacks of books, CDs, and games. Board and system. "Yeah. I get bored easily." I nod. "Same." I turn, and stop in my tracks. Dalton's right behind me, just staring. His scent drifts in my nose and I never realized how great he smells. I stare back, getting lost in his dark eyes that seem like a bottomless pit. His hand reaches up, and brushes some of my hair behind my ear. I shiver at his cold touch. "How come you and Ruben are so cold?" I asked softly. He smiles. "It just runs in the family." "Does that mean the house is family, too? Because it's also freezing in here." He doesn't reply, just grabs my hand and spins me so my back is against his chest. We find a rhythm to sway to slowly, and I look up, gazing in his eyes. "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" He asks in a whisper. My heart starts racing. "Dalton-" Ruben walks in. Dalton and I stop swaying, pulling away from each other. Ruben smiles. "Zaiden would like to say a proper hello." Ruben still smiles as he leaves and we follow behind.

Zaiden is sitting on the couch in the family room. His ocean blue eyes seem a little brighter as we near him. He gets up and meets me halfway. "I'm sorry for my behavior earlier, Vanessa. It's a pleasure to meet you." I shake his hand, and once again, it's freezing. His smile is warming, though, so that's good. "Nice to meet you." I said with a smile, although something about him still intimated me. Ruben's sightless eyes gaze over each of us, and he's still smiling. I felt better now that Zaiden and I have actually talked a little. "What are you smiling at?" Zaiden asks his brother. "Oh, nothing." Ruben laughs. Zaiden rolls his eyes. "Weirdo." I smile and look at Dalton. "I like your brothers." I said. He smiles. "I knew you would."

Dalton and I stand there in each others arms as we watch Zaiden and Ruben playfully wrestle each other.