"So, Lara." The girl who sat in front of her that had never once spoken to her before leaned back. "Are you going to the Rave'N with Xavier?"
"No." She was quick to reply. "Why would you think that?" She hadn't spoken to him since their argument a day or two ago.
"You two do spend a lot of time together." The girl next to Lara chimed in.
"That doesn't mean anything. We're just friends." She hated busybodies. Neither of these girls had so much as looked at her before and now they were gossiping with her as though they were the best of friends.
"That's not what Enid's blog says."
"You're basing all this off of some gossip column? Give me a break." Lara rolled her eyes.
"Not just off that. He looks at you like a..."
"Lost puppy." The other one chimed in and they both erupted into giggles.
Lara didn't find it funny. She had to put an end to his ridiculous feelings before he actually got hurt. She glanced to where he sat and sure enough his eyes were fixated on her. He didn't look away when he saw her looking.
She had to tell him to stop.
She planned to do it that night at the Rave'N.
—
Xavier wasn't hard to find. In a red suit with a black tie, he complimented Lara's outfit.
It was a coincidence, but their classmates didn't think so. Lara received several comments about how she and her boyfriend matched perfectly.
Correcting them was futile if they were just going to continue anyway, so she ignored the comments.
Lara wore a floor-length crimson gown with a shimmering corset. Her hair was tied back in a bun that sat on her neck, decorated with specks of gold glitter.
She'd had the dress forever and it was finally a red and black-themed party. She'd spent years attending Rave'N dances with themes like seasons or fairytales. This was finally one she could dress properly for.
Lara didn't have a date - her own fault for being so unapproachable. Or perhaps Xavier's fault for acting like she belonged to him. The looks he sent her constantly were overwhelming; anybody could sense the tension and she was sure nobody wanted to get involved.
With no one to dance with, she headed for the punch bowl. As she had expected, Xavier followed.
"You look stunning." He said.
"Thank you... So do you. I mean, not stunning, handsome. You look handsome, Xavier." ." Lara never stuttered; she couldn't believe some boy dressed in a suit with his hair tied back and high cheekbones on display was having this effect on her.
He chuckled and poured some punch for himself. "Do you have a date?" He asked.
"No. Do you?"
He shook his head. Lara was happy about that, she didn't know how she might have reacted to a date of Xavier's.
She frowned - she was here to tell him to stop liking her, not to get mad if he had a date. It must have been the punch that was distracting her so terribly.
The music changed to a romantic song that Lara recognized as Eternity by Kip Tyler. She loved this song. It was the only song she'd listened to for a month about ten years ago when she had a roommate. The roommate had not taken kindly to the fixation on the song and moved out. It was pretty hilarious, Lara decided upon remembering how the girl had reacted.
"Do you want to dance?" Xavier was staring right into her eyes, practically begging her to say yes. But no begging was needed when it came to him. She would have said yes even if it was a song she hated.
"Yes." She took his hand and led him onto the dance floor. Her hands went around him and pulled him to her in a sort of hug. It felt good to be near him again. "I'm sorry for being so horrible to you the other day."
He rested his hand on her hip. "Don't apologize. I shouldn't have tried to kiss you."
"It's not that at all." She told him firmly, upset that he thought this was all because they'd almost kissed. "You've done nothing wrong. It's me, it's all me." She rested her head on his shoulder. She breathed in his scent - he smelt delicious. Lara tightened her grip on him, silently claiming him in front of any girls who may be watching. "You were so great to me."
"Why do you speak in the past tense?" He asked into her hair. "I can still be great to you if you'd let me."
"There's no time for that, Xavier." Lara pulled back and looked into his eyes. "My time here is coming to an end."
"Don't say that."
"I'm not going to lie to you. I actually came here tonight to tell you to... Let me go."
His hands fell, but she had not meant it literally. "Xavier..."
He stormed out of the room, his coat-tails flaring out behind him.
Lara couldn't let him leave. She called him but he didn't stop.
Lara picked up the bottom of her dress and ran after him. "Can you slow down!" She couldn't walk very fast in her heels but she managed to follow him by the footprints left in the mud.
They stopped at a shed with a half-open door. She stepped inside and was engulfed by the orange light of a lantern that illuminated the sketches lining the walls. "What is this place?" She managed to breathe out, taken aback by the spectacular art pieces on every wall.
"My art studio. I cleared it out a while ago so I had a place to... understand my dreams."
She knew Xavier was a seer - it must have been hard to have so many visions all the time and never be able to interpret them.
She reached for a drawing of herself and looked to Xavier for an explanation.
"That one was just practise, but..." He pointed at another. "That was the first dream I had of you." Lara saw herself lying in a pool of blood with the silver dagger she'd acquired in Italy buried deep inside her chest. "I dreamt of this the other night - after we almost kissed." He pointed to another one of her dancing at the Rave'N in the same dress she was wearing now.
Xavier didn't need to show her the next one; it caught her eye immediately.
"Yeah, that..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't really interpret it."
But Lara could. It was blurry but it showed the two of them. Blood dripped down her chin and from his neck - he'd have to know what he was looking for to understand what the blurry mass of lines showed.
"Xavier, I'm not ending my life because I'm sad," Lara told him. "I'm just... tired. Being immortal may sound fun, but I assure you, it's not. I've been at Nevermore for decades and nothing has changed, my future is the same. I'll live forever, whether it's at the school or somewhere else." She looked down, picking her next words carefully. "Souls aren't meant to stay on Earth forever; I think it's time mine moves on from this place."
"I don't want to live without you."
"That's unfair. Because eventually, I'll have to live without you." That was another thing that had been plaguing her thoughts - Xavier was mortal. Even if she didn't plan on dying, they couldn't be together.
"Let me do something for you. Please, Lara."
"Nothing will change my mind, Xavier. I'm sorry." She turned but he caught her wrist with his warm fingers.
He pulled her back and pressed his lips to hers. Lara was hesitant to kiss him back, but she decided she could allow herself one moment of weakness.
The feeling of her mouth moving against his had Xavier grabbing Lara and pulling her closer to him.
"Wait..." She breathed and pulled away. Lara had wanted to leave, but one look into his lust-filled eyes and she knew she couldn't. "Do you want to know what that drawing is?" She whispered.
"What is it?" His voice was equally as soft. His lips tickled her cheek as he spoke.
"I learnt a long time ago that I had power over mortals." She told him. "As a vampire, I can do things you haven't even dreamt of." She traced her finger along his jaw. "It's known that the greatest pleasure to mortals is having their blood sucked by a vampire." She looked into his eyes. "I would like to pleasure you that way, Xavier. If you'd let me."
He nodded slowly, pulling her body against his to encourage her advances. Lara's fingers popped open his buttons one by one. It was achingly slow for Xavier whose mind was racing due to their proximity. She peeled his shirt off and tossed it to the floor.
Lara looked into his eyes once more, but there was no doubt lingering there, only desire.
She kissed the part of his neck right above his collarbone and felt him shiver beneath her touch.
Her icy hands rested on either of his shoulders, keeping him in place.
He couldn't move - the consequences could be dire. But that is what added to the thrill of it all; what made this so exhilarating and pleasurable.
Her tongue trailed against his cool skin, her venomous spit glistening against it. His grip on her waist tightened as her fangs sunk into him. He gasped loudly. It was all the encouragement Lara needed.
Xavier whined as she sucked his blood slowly and teasingly, digging her nails into his skin.
His blood was sweet and soothing on her throat, thin and easy to suck, exactly how she liked it. "You taste amazing, Xavier." She breathed.
He groaned in response, hands tangling in her hair, freeing it from the tight updo and letting it fall loose. He held her tight against his body until she pulled away and let her tongue trail the spot she'd been sucking on. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."
He shook his head. "I'd kill to feel that again." He whispered and grabbed her face, connecting their lips. His mouth moved quickly against hers, taking her lip between his teeth as he guided her to the nearest empty surface.
As much as Lara wanted this, wanted him, she could not give in. It wouldn't be fair to Xavier if she allowed this to go any further. Even sucking his blood had been selfish of her.
She may have told him he needed to let her go but it was in fact she who needed to let him go.
"Stop, Xavier." She rested her hand on his cheek and he pulled away. "We can't do this."
He nodded slowly. "I know."
"Can we just... lie together?"
He opened his arms for her.
They cuddled together on the couch in the corner of the room. Xavier's breathing soon slowed to a light pace that told Lara he was asleep.
Lara didn't sleep that night. She spent the silent hours with her head on his chest, finding comfort in the rhythm of his beating heart.