Reluctant Enemies

Chapter 7

The next day dragged by slowly for Beth. Even when her parents came home to check on them before leaving again, she was distant and unfocused. Her latest dream was playing in her head on repeat, a never ending loop of horror.

Finally she told Bernard she needed to get away for a bit. He said nothing, simply packed her a lunch and let her borrow his car as her parents had for some reason needed hers.

She didn't know what she was going to do, but she drove to town and stopped at the first store that seemed interesting.

Beth wandered around for a bit, then decided to go for somewhere she could get ice cream when she was done with the BLT that Bernard had made for her.

She got a corner booth at a dimly lit local ice cream shop, glad nobody payed attention to her. 

"Come on Tae, you know I can't eat that."

Beth's spine stiffened. Tae? Tae who?

"You can't eat anything. This is mine."

Taehyung. Of course.

"Inconsiderate oaf."

The girl's voice was teasing... And familiar.

"We want the same thing. In fact, you know as well as I do we actually need it desperately. So let's just stick to business please." Taehyung was cool and unconcerned, his voice nearly emotionless.

"As if there was nothing between us."

"I'm not Taeron, Gwen. Forget it."

Even as they spoke, they settled into a nearby table.

"How naïve. We're all formed by our history. And we both know that girl is only standing between us and our future. Without her that idiot Bertrand-"

"Bernard" Taehyung corrected lazily. "And there is no us Gwen. This is strictly business and you know it."

"Oh, then you have your eye on someone else? Perhaps you want the girl? You know I'm alright with you having a mistress."

Taehyung snarled. "Shut up unless you have something useful to say."

"Touchy. Listen, I'm only saying it's been tradition that we vampires express our gratitude. If you aren't accepting what's traditional then you should have something else in mind."

"Actually I do. Just give me your best man and let me handle this. That's all."

"You're planning to attack that castle with yourself and one other person? You're insane!"

"So what? You just keep your traditional side of the bargain. I'm on the girl's good side. They won't be expecting anything."

Beth stopped listening. They didn't talk about anything of importance after that anyways, as too many people had arrived for the lunch rush.

She waited until they had gone to get up and go home. She'd had quite enough of town.

As she drove home Beth found herself speeding through the countryside, something she'd never done before.

She wasn't even disappointed anymore. She was just angry. The sheer nerve of him! It didn't take a genius to see that she had been played.

Beth was just glad that she'd followed her gut and blocked him.

So why was she crying as though she'd just lost everything?

Ice cream. She'd even gone to get ice cream because she couldn't get his stupid text out of her head. She'd been a complete fool.