I breathe deeply as I skate through the ramps and curves, wiping the small bead of sweat from my upper lip. I have been at this combo for probably hours, but I keep failing on the final trick.
Will, Evan, and Jason are seated on the ledge of the fun box, obstructing other fellow skaters from the area and getting angry looks. However, they don't really care as they have made it their mission to observe me. When I first walked into the skatepark today, they took turns yelling at me for not being here in over a week and falling behind. This is their idea of an intervention, and just to humor them, here I am trying to pull off a trick that I've never landed before.
I push off the ground with my feet, performing a rail slide as I give my crew a smug wink. They all roll their eyes, Jason going as far as yawning with a teasing grin. I flip him off before gaining speed on my board to perform a simple kickflip as my wheels leave a small ramp. When I'm airborne, the trick comes as easy to me as breathing, and soon enough, my knees are handling the shock of my board hitting the ground after a successful run.
I let the wind ripple past my face as I find the courage to pull off my final trick. I swerve through the other people on skateboards, scooters, and bikes until I find myself leaning back almost forty-five degrees as I glide around the bowl. I jump out of the big swimming pool junction as my hand catches my board. I run across the small bit of concrete before sliding Bernadette under my feet as I hop on.
It's now or never...by that, I mean that this could determine whether or not I have to go to the hospital in about five seconds.
Right before I'm in front of the guys, I position my feet correctly so I can pull off the infamous Tre Flip. Will gives me a big thumbs up and I nod with fiery determination.
In three, two, one...
My feet leave the ground as I use my back foot to kick the board into a spin. Not having the courage to see myself fail miserably, I clench my eyes shut. However, when my heels hit the weakened wood again, an elated and disbelieving laugh bubbles out of me. I peek one eye open just in time for my leg to make contact with a grind rail and for me to flip over it entirely.
I don't even let the embarrassing fall disorient me as I see the guys running toward me. They help me up as I begin to laugh.
"Holy shit, I did it! I fucking did it!"
"Yeah!" the guys yell around me, pulling me into a suffocating but excited hug as they ruffle my hair, slap my back, and basically praise me in the typical skateboarder ways they know how.
We probably look stupid as hell—jumping up and down in a circle in the middle of the skatepark—but the accomplishment is exhilarating.
"Damn, Kieran," Evan shakes his head with a laugh. "Didn't think you had it in you."
"Oh, fuck you," I chuckle.
"Well, for the record, I had faith in you," Will says before giving me a fist bump. "Not really, but it looks like you did just fine, man."
I roll my eyes as Jason adds, "Next order of business. We gotta teach you the laser flip. It's only—"
"No, hell no, absolutely not," I object, waving my hands dramatically. "My ass hurts after you guys just watched me fall for hours."
"That's the whole point, duh," Evan smirks. "It's hilarious."
"Good to know you care about my health," I mutter.
"I know someone who does," Jason says with a mischievous glint in his eye.
I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Who?"
"Your boyfriend," Will answers for him as he points just past my shoulder.
I look behind me, and sure enough, Cassius Connor is watching me from the distance with a fond smile. I wink and blow him a kiss before turning back to the guys.
Their jaws drop as they stare back at me.
"What?" I say, confused. "Why are you guys acting weird?"
"Ha!" Evan says pointing accusingly. "You didn't deny it! Guys, he didn't deny it!"
A shocked laugh tumbles out of Will. "Holy crap."
Jason adds, "You're actually dating?!"
"Damn," Will mutters, punching me on the shoulder. "You are terrible at bro code. You are supposed to tell us these things."
"Oh, shut up," I huff before turning around and gesturing Cassius over. He hesitates for a second before his steps lead him onto the skatepark terrain.
The first thing Jason does when Cassius joins us is stand next to him and cross his arms as he looks between Will and Evan expectantly.
"Well, guys," he says. "Am I more attractive than him or not?"
"Not even close," Evan mumbles.
"Yeah, what he said," Will adds, looking Cass up and down as if he is appreciating my boyfriend's looks like every straight man would.
Jason pouts before sulking and squeezing in between the two idiots who are mocking him.
Cass is looking at me uneasily, but I settle his nerves as I toss my arm around his shoulder and pull him close to me, giving him the goofiest grin I can. His hard edge melts away at the touch of my hand.
"Well, you caught me," I say exasperatedly. "This guy right here..." I tickle Cassius' side which causes him to clamp his mouth shut and elbow me in the rib cage. "...Is my lovely boyfriend Cassius."
He stomps on my foot when he detects the sarcasm in my voice.
"Ow, dipshit," I grimace, before shoving him away from me.
The three guys in front of us just watch our playful interactions with shit-eating grins.
"Um, question," Evan chimes.
"Hm?" I hum as Cass pulls me closer to him by grabbing my shirt.
"How the hell did you manage to pull him?!"
"I mean, I wasn't actually going to say anything, but we were all thinking it," Will comments.
"Oh, fuck you guys," I huff, leaning further into Cassius's hold.
"You know, I ask myself the same question," Cassius' deep voice says, adding salt to the wound.
Jason snorts, "I fucking love this guy."
I just grumble a whole line of curses under my breath as I go fetch my skateboard. When I return, Cass's brown eyes follow my every move all the way until I'm standing in front of him again.
"Why are you even here, Grumpy?" I smile.
He places a hand on my hip and leans close to my ear to whisper, "I missed you."
Evan, Will, and Jason, being copycat versions of my personality, all begin to toss each other suggestive looks, mistaking Cassius's sweet message for something dirty.
"Come on," Evan announces before turning away. "Let's leave the two lovers on their own since they clearly can't keep it in the bedroom."
"What?! Get your heads out of the gutter!" I shout as they are already walking away, tossing sly winks over their shoulders.
"Yeah, yeah," Will says, entirely unconvinced with a quick flick of his hand.
I turn to my boyfriend with crossed arms. "You just had to embarrass me, didn't you?"
"Of course," he smirks. "Why would I not take the chance?"
"You better watch yourself, Moody," I playfully scowl. "I don't know who you think you are, but—"
I don't even get to finish the sentence because he fits his lips over mine, right in the middle of the skatepark. I laugh into the kiss, but he pulls away too soon for my liking.
"It's way too easy to shut you up," he shrugs before tugging me out of the park with a big grin. "I missed you," he repeats.
Just to be annoying, I look away with defiance, but my fingers stay linked with his.
"Wow, what a pretty sky today," I smirk, looking at the expanse of boring clear blue above me.
Cassius squeezes my hand and when I don't squeeze back, he pushes our hips together as we continue walking through town.
"Sunny," he says, and I can hear the slight longing in his voice.
He should know by now that I'm so absolutely smitten with him. Of course, I'm going to tell him that I missed him too, but not before I take advantage of pulling the cuter side out of him.
Man, do I love teasing my vampire.
"Oh, look. There's a brand new restaurant down the street," I smile, pointing at it.
He doesn't even take a peek as his eyes are glued to my face.
"Kieran," he says softly.
"Oh my god, look at the dog," I say with feign excitement, and as expected, his head whips toward the busy traffic light that has a clear absence of a dog.
His shoulders slightly deflate and he looks away.
Okay, maybe that was a little too far.
"Kieran, can you please say it back?" he whispers, the tips of his ears turning red.
When we finally make it into his little alleyway, I place my hands on his sides and gently maneuver him until his back is flush against the brick wall. He bashfully bites his lip but maintains eye contact with me. As a matter of fact, he blinks and suddenly his eyes are a natural warm amber.
"You know I'm just kidding, right?" I whisper, pushing the sly pieces of hair out of his face. "I missed you too."
He shows me that dazzling smile of his, and I feel myself becoming so weak to his love when his fingers curl into the bottom of my sweatshirt.
"Sorry if I'm being ridiculous," he says back timidly. "I just...I don't know..."
"Don't apologize. There's nothing wrong with wanting reassurance."
I give him a quick, sweet kiss on the mouth, but it is a little longer than expected when his cold hands are pulling my cheeks closer. I love that he is so predictable; he always pulls my face closer when we kiss, and I love the burst of passion that flares in my chest.
"Cass," I murmur against his mouth.
He pulls back and looks at me patiently. "Hm?"
"I promise we'll get a dog when we're older, okay?"
"Okay," he smiles cutely, but I can see him trying to hide his excitement. "Oh, guess what?"
"Chicken butt?" I offer smugly.
"Really?" he scoffs. His face says that he's heavily unamused but his eyes tell me differently. "How do you still have the humor of an obnoxious middle schooler?"
"How do you still have a resting bitch face?"
...And cue said resting bitch face.
I lean forward and playfully place dozens of little kisses on his cheek until a smile is stretching across his face.
"What did you want to tell me about?" I ask.
"Oh, right," he chuckles before prying Bernadette out of my hands. "I wanted to show you what I've been working on."
"You've been skateboarding?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Attempting," he laughs. "Just a few things, learning how to ride it, easy skills, you know the drill."
"Cassius Connor," I let out a little scoff in disbelief. "You're telling me that you've been skateboarding?"
"Yeah," he shrugs, not even realizing how much that little gesture of taking the time to learn something I love has my heart pounding in my chest with adoration.
I silently watch as he walks back toward the open mouth of the alleyway, just before the main stretch of Wright Street.
"Wait, Cassius," I object. "The ground is super uneven and—"
"Shh, let me have my moment," he smirks with undeterred confidence that I find really attractive.
"But—"
He hops on the skateboard and starts cruising down the terribly battered and narrow space. He winks at me before exhibiting a flawless olly. However, it isn't as flawless as I thought because the wheel gets stuck sideways in the same giant crack in the ground that I was trying to warn Cassius about. He gets a face full of brick wall when he collapses to the ground after being thrown off balance.
I stay silent for a moment, wanting to see if he is okay, but when he bursts out laughing, arms thrown across his stomach and tears filling in his eyes, I have to follow.
"God, I fucking love you," I snort, placing my hand on the wall to stabilize myself as my body becomes weak with laughter. "A-Are you okay?"
His deep laughter is suddenly reduced to silence. I look over at him weirdly.
"Hey, you okay?" I ask with concern. "Is something wrong?"
In the blink of an eye, he gets over the humor of his fall as his shadow-like form is abruptly materializing in front of me. He grasps both of my arms.
"W-What did you say?" he says smally, his eyes shining bright with vulnerability and...hope?
"I asked if you were okay," I say confused, instantly examining the tiny gash on his cheek that he doesn't even seem to care about.
"No, no, no," he babbles. "Before that."
"I said 'God, I fucking lo'—holyshitidroppedthefuckingbomb," I gasp.
He steps closer to me, his eyes wide with wonder and optimism, but also a hidden trace of fear as if I'm going to take back the powerful statement.
"Did you mean it?" he whispers, the words painfully falling past his lips as if he doesn't want to hear the answer but needs to know.
"Kurayami."
"Kieran." He clenches his eyes shut and gulps harshly. "Please just tell me whether you meant it or not."
"Kurayami, open your eyes," I command softly, massaging my fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck.
He tentatively opens his eyes as his skin seems to crawl while awaiting my answer. The amount of emotion, uncertainty, and fear swirling in his eyes is something I instantly want to snuff out.
I lean close to his ear and whisper, "I'm in love with you, Kurayami Cassius Connor."
His jaw drops and with no surprise, his fangs extend. His pupils shift to their usual luminous red color. Just when I expect him to say the three-word phase back, worry floods his features.
"Are you su—"
"Kurayami," I smile softly, grabbing his hand and placing his open palm right over my heart. "I. Love. You."
His fingers twitch against my chest as if trying to feel for a small heart sputter that will never be there because I'm speaking with full-fledged honesty.
Then slowly, I watch as his face gradually explodes in a rosy red color.
"See," I begin, "I had this whole plan. I wanted to take you out on an extravagant date. I wanted to spoil you with all your favorite things and pull off the sappiest date anyone could muster. We were going to walk under the sun, get ice cream, say the most disgustingly cheesy things to each other, and then, at the end of the night, I was going to spin you around and kiss you, right before whispering 'I love you' in your ear."
When Cass doesn't say anything, I continue rambling.
I laugh awkwardly, "But clearly things didn't work out that way. I just ruined all the preparation I had, and I said it in a way that was so insignificant and unspecial that I hope you aren't mad at me for ruining this important moment. I just—"
"Just shut your fucking mouth," he happily laughs before pulling me into the most romantically aggressive kiss I have ever experienced in my life.
We only pull away from each other's mouths when we are low on oxygen and our mouths are smiling so happily that our teeth were clanking together more than we were actually kissing.
"Sunny, you're an idiot," he chuckles. "It wouldn't matter if you said it to me when we were just laying in bed. You could've just told me over the phone, and I wouldn't mind. Hell, you could've just told me when we were walking down the school hallway. It doesn't matter how you say it because the fact that it's coming from you is the greatest gift I could ask for."
I playfully roll my eyes, "Sappy much?"
He ignores me but comes a little closer, to the point where our noses are touching.
"You love me?" he asks softly.
"Mhm," I beam. "I do love you."
A gentle smile paints his features as there is no sign of his fangs retracting.
"I love you too. More than anything," he whispers back. "Um...can you say it again?"
I chuckle softly before placing a kiss on his right pink cheek. "I love you."
"Again."
"I'm in love with you." I kiss his other cheek.
"Again," he says, trying to mask his giddiness.
"You're the love of my life," I beam with a kiss on his forehead.
"Again, please."
"I can't help falling in love with you." A kiss on his nose.
"One more time."
"I will always love you," I say with the last kiss, sweet and small, landing on his grinning lips.
Before I have any time to react, his arms are around me so tightly that I swear he makes one of my lungs collapse. I endure it for a few more seconds, knowing how much this moment means to him, but when I really don't have much oxygen left I pat his back.
"T-Tapping o-o-out," I choke.
Instantly, he releases me and my hands fly to my knees where I start coughing at the newfound sensation of breathing.
"Sorry," he mutters sheepishly, placing his hand on my lower back.
"Y-You gotta..." I gulp and try to get my breathing under control. "You gotta stop hugging me with your super strength."
"Okay," he says before he delicately molds himself into my side, wrapping his arms around my waist.
I toss him a soft grin, and just when I expect him to stare back at me, his smile falters.
"Oh no, why are you giving me that face?" I ask.
He looks away shamefully, but I grab his chin and bring his fading red eyes back to mine.
"What is it, Cass?" I ask patiently.
"Sunny," he says defeatedly. "This, you—means everything to me, but I lied to you about something before. I promise that was the only time I ever lied to you, but I was supposed to tell you before we reached this point, so now I feel like a terrible person."
"Hey," I interject, linking my pinky with his. "It's okay. I'm sure it won't change a thing."
His voice shakes with nerves. "Please don't be mad at me."
"I won't, I won't," I promise. "What is it?"
He takes in a shuddering breath before everything comes rushing out at the speed of a tsunami.
"Every vampire has a soulmate," he begins. "And this isn't like the silly little thing that people say to each other when they are super in love, but I'm talking full-blown soulmates. Kieran, you're my soulmate."
"Wha—"
"We are required to tell the council our soulmates. The only problem is when I happened to tell them about you, they were outraged that a human boy was destined to be my other half. I was mocked, threatened, slapped, and pushed around all because I loved you and would never fall out of love. That was the day of my tenth birthday. That's what really happened. Of course, I still wanted to protect you from that life, but that wasn't the complete reason that we fell out at ten years old. I just needed something to blame for how my life could possibly get worse and I regret every day that I blamed it on you."
...Holy shit.
"That's not the only thing, though," he claims distraughtly. "I'm supernaturally drawn to you. Like, my heart can physically sense you, so when I ran away from the institute, I followed you here to Wakefield. And I know this all sounds crazy and creepy and horrifying, which is why I couldn't tell you earlier. I also didn't want you to think that my feelings were anything less than genuine for you just because fate says that you're the love of my life. At the same time, I also didn't want to force you to love me. I wanted you to truly like me and truly want to be with me, which is why I told you that soulmates were a myth when we first got together."
He breathes harshly and looks away, almost as if waiting for a hit; like I can judge how truthful his words are and he is expecting to be punished just like he was in the Institute.
"Please say something," he says nervously.
"Well, shit..." I mutter.
"Oh my god. See, I knew you would never look at me the same after this." He starts to panic. "I should've just been truthful with you from the beginning like you asked, a-and—"
"Kurayami, take a breather," I say with a warm smile.
"We've just been doing so good, and everything has been great between us, and—"
"Yami," I whisper, placing my hands on his cheeks as I lean forward and kiss him. He practically melts at my fingertips.
I briefly pull away and find that his fangs and red eyes are no more, but that doesn't shake the unsettled look on his face.
"Wow, I'm going to use that tactic more often," I chuckle, referring to what he said earlier—how kissing is an effective method to shut him up. "So...I'm your soulmate?"
"Yes," he huffs defeatedly.
"Cassius!" I shout, jokingly pushing him in the chest. "That's fucking cool as shit!"
"W-What?"
"I mean, why didn't you tell me earlier?" I laugh. "I'm sure it wouldn't have changed anything."
"Sunny," he deadpans. "We didn't talk for weeks when I first told you I loved you."
"Okay, yeah," I snort. "Fair point, but you are working yourself up for no reason."
I pull the moon necklace out from underneath his shirt, examining the same pendant that I gave him almost a decade ago.
"I love you," I grin.
"Me too," he smiles looking into my eyes wistfully.
"And this information honestly doesn't mean much to me. It's pretty awesome if you ask me, but I don't know where in your vampire mind you thought I'd be mad about it, especially when it gives reason to your actions. You're kind of stuck with me, whether you like it or not. Got that?"
He sighs in relief and happily nods.
"Um..." he mutters wearily. "I have two things I want to tell you."
"Okay," I shrug. "Whatever you say still won't change the fact that I love you."
He breathes deeply and nods as his mind is finally assured.
"I know prom is next week, and I know we've been talking about it with Lilah and Jackson forever, but I don't want to go anymore," he explains. "It's just...it's always so crowded and people are going to be everywhere, and even more so, I don't want to go if Mr. Acheron is there. I-I'd rather it just be you and me, but I understand if you still want to go."
"Cassius, do I really look the type of person to be butthurt over not going to some silly school dance?"
"Maybe a little bit," he teases, holding up his index finger and thumb a millimeter apart.
I let out a short laugh before planting my hands on his shoulders and shaking his body so I can get through to my boyfriend.
"Does this mean you still want me to take you out on that date?" I ask, raising my eyebrows suggestively.
"Yes," he laughs. "I want to see what Kieran Tate can plan."
"I can plan a whole lot." Again, I raise my eyebrows suggestively.
He slaps my forehead with a snort, "Would you stop?"
"Never," I smirk before pecking his mouth. "What else did you want to tell me?"
"I want to report him."
"Huh?" I say stupidly, not entirely understanding.
"Mr. Acheron," he clarifies. "I want to report him."
"Really?" I say, not with shock, but admiration for my strong vampire.
"Mhm," he nods. "I don't think I have the strength to say it out loud again—"
"That's okay."
"—But I want to let Mr. Rockwell know. I want to write a written statement."
"God," I sigh with a bright smile. "I'm so fucking proud of you."
"Sunny, stop," he says half-heartedly, looking away with pink cheeks.
"Hey, don't do that," I whisper. "Don't devalue what you have gone through. Life has tried to beat you down more times than I can count, yet you are still standing. The fact that you are here in front of me right now..." I place two fingers on the corner of his lips and manually tug his lips up which causes a real smile to follow. "Smiling as brightly as you are? That's nothing short of astonishing. You are so damn strong, Cass, and I will never stop being proud of you. You just need to realize it yourself."
"Thank you," he says softly, reaching out to fiddle with my hand.
"How about this?" I offer. "You write down whatever you are comfortable with writing and I'll handle the rest."
"I was actually going to ask for your help," he admits. "I just...I don't know. I don't want to face Mr. Rockwell."
"Hey, there is nothing to be ashamed about," I say. "But I understand if it makes you uncomfortable. You just take however long you need and then once you're done, I'll seal it up in an envelope and hand it to him. You don't worry about a thing, okay?"
"Okay," he nods.
"Kay, what do you want to do now, Vampy?"
He wastes no time before tugging me into his decorated hut. "Just tell me you love me for the rest of the night."
I grin, "Deal."