Taking the Leap

Chapter 11

Seeing him talking so easily to Sunny made me feel something warm and soft for Xander. I wasn't paying much attention to the movie, just happy that these two people I cared about, seemed to like one another. The music was brilliant though, simple and emotive when it needed to be and sweeping and expansive when the action scenes roared. Xander was really a genius. He was too good for me. Too interesting. Too proud. Too colourful.

"I heard her come out." Xander leaned in and across a sleeping Sunny. She must have been exhausted, poor kid. Xander looked at her, then me. "She's a brave kid."

I swallowed. "Yeah."

"Let's all go to bed?" Xander said in a soft voice. "I made up the guest bedrooms. Yours and Sunny's rooms are beside one another, at the end of the hall." He got up then, turning off the VCR and then the screen.

I woke up a bleary eyed Sunny to tell her to put her prosthetic in and go to bed. She gave me a thick response as I escorted her to her bedroom. She waved goodnight and closed the door.

I went to the bedroom beside hers, opening the door to see a perfectly made bed with my things from the trip in a neat pile on the floor. I quietly closed the door and followed my nose to where Xander was. He was in the kitchen, the sound of the kettle rumbling while he browsed on his phone, facing away from me.

I came up behind him, wrapping my hands around his waist and nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Xander relaxed into my embrace, humming softly. I finally realized what it was Xander smelled like. It was vanilla. Sweet, and clean and perfect; all him.

I kissed his neck. "Thank you."

Xander turned his head until his lips met mine. His mouth was soft and warm as we kissed slowly. I could taste the hints left over from the hot chocolate as my tongue swooped against his. I pulled Xander closer against me and he moaned quietly into my mouth as the kettle whistled.

Xander moved away to attend to the kettle. He poured the hot water into a mug before putting in a tea bag from a green tea box. "You should go to bed." He said.

"I want to be with you." I said.

He stilled, looking at me with an unreadable look on his face, his green eyes dark and distant. "Not with the girl in the house."

"I don't care if she finds out."

Xander shook his head. "I'm behind on my compositions. I've got to stay up tonight to catch up. You should go to sleep."

"Okay." I said, knowing not to push. "Next week, let's go for a drink."

Xander gave me a smile. "Coffee."

"Coffee, it is." I agreed.

#

I was the last one awake the next morning. I took a long shower before shuffling into the kitchen finding Sunny and Xander sitting around Xander's computer at the kitchen island. The place smelled like eggs, bacon, sausages and bread. I assumed Sunny had made that for herself because I saw Xander with several cups of coffee around the island, all on little coasters, of course. There were a few empty blood packets as well, arranged in a little pile. Not for the first time I wondered how much blood Xander needed.