I was awakened by the constant ringing of my cellphone. At first, I thought it was someone prank calling me, but when I saw the caller ID I knew something wasn't right. Javin doesn't usually call me at one in the morning, especially on a week night. Something had to have happened.
"Javin, what's wrong?" I asked sleepily.
"You tell me," He sounded upset and angry, as though he was trying to calm himself. "Hunter went on a rampage and tried to attack me."
"He did what?!" I screamed, balling my left hand into a fist and slammed the headboard of my bed. I didn't feel a thing. I was that furious.
"Calm down, I'm fine. He's gone now. He said that he lost his right with you...What did he mean by that?"
"We're no longer mates. That's what he meant. There's no point in discussing the past any further. It's done with." I explained calmly, feeling the need to use the bathroom.
"Fine. Meet me at Moonstruck in ten. You're going to have to talk to Jake, Sam. He heard everything and he wants answers."
"No, he doesn't need answers. It's not his business. I don't have to explain anything to anyone, especially him. If you want, come over. We'll talk here. Bye bro." With that, I hung up on Javin and used the bathroom. After flushing, I washed my hands and face with freezing cold water to wake me up.
Staring into the mirror above the bathroom sink, I looked over my face. Even angry I looked pretty. My lilac purple eyes twinkled and my long face was smooth and perfectly tan. I couldn't help thinking about Hunter and remembering how intimate he was - is - with that girl. He loved me... He loved me? What a mess this has turned into.
"I hate him," I said, aloud, to myself. "I hate him! ... I pity him. I will not suffer because of him!" Tears welled in my eyes and finally overflowed my eyes and trickled down my cheeks. I stared in the mirror and saw the real me; the miserable, unloved girl who is cursed with the truth.
I'm not that girl. I thought as I brought my right hand up to my face and wiped the tears away. I don't want to feel like this. He should be the one crying. He should be the one feeling unloved. I deserve to be happy. I deserve to have a life, someone to love... I remembered the promise I made to myself about marrying for love, spending the rest of my life with someone who cares for me, through thick and thin, and sighed.
From the bathroom I could hear someone knocking loudly on the front door. Frantically, I wiped my face dry with a tissue and threw it out into the trash bin just as I exited the bathroom. When I was about five feet away from the door I realized how tense I felt. I stood in my place and glared at the door, wishing I had x-ray vision.
I didn't hear a heart beating. For some odd reason, I couldn't register their scent. Whoever was standing out in the hallway was not alive.
"Who's there?" I asked, looking at the floor.
"Samantha, it's Joseph," The familiar voice of Joe called from outside. He sounded frustrated and his southern accent was strong, sending chills through me. "Can we talk?"
"About what?" I questioned. For a few seconds there was silence. He was thinking of what to say. The pause verified that he was nervous and searching for the right words.
"Whatever you want." As though he understood my pain, I took a step back and thought about his answer. I need to talk to someone... I rather talk to him then speak to Javin right now. Quickly, I unlocked the door and opened it for him. He was standing outside in a black polo shirt, jeans and sandals, the stressed look on his face gave away how worried he was. His hair was messy and sticking out in places. He looked like he'd just woken up.
"You were there?"
"Where?" He questioned, sounding honestly clueless. I stared at him in disbelief. We stood in silence for a good 10 seconds.
"Why are you here? How'd you know that I live here?"
"It's difficult to explain... My chest started hurting and I thought I heard you. I remembered your scent and just trusted my instincts. I thought you were in trouble," He explained, looking at me the entire time. "I didn't hear you scream so I just assumed maybe there's something you want to get off your chest."
"At one in the morning?" I asked, forgetting that he was a vampire. Joe flashed me a confused look which I returned with a sigh.
"I would invite you in, but I don't have anything for you to drink," I slowly said, trying not to sound rude. He nodded in understanding and took a step back. "That doesn't mean we can't talk like this." Joe looked at me with wide eyes and crossed his arms.
"How's everything?" Joe asked.
"Good and bad. Work is fine and the family's okay, but Hunter and I are no longer together."
"What do you mean?"
"We broke up," The look on Joe's face displayed the shock I expected. "I'm doing okay." Again, we stood in silence for a few seconds.
"What happened?"
"Nothing," I lied, feeling the urge to break down crying again. Damn emotions! "Just decided to put things on hold for a while."
"Samantha," Joe said my name softly, as though he was pleading with me. I looked down at the floor, feeling upset. "He hurt you, didn't he? He did something terrible."
"No-" I blurted, lying to both him and myself. I wanted to say yes but I couldn't do it. It hurt too much.
"I'll kill him." Joe said through clenched teeth. Just as he was about to walk away and leave, I stepped out of my apartment and grabbed his arm.
"Don't," I pleaded desperately. Joe didn't look back at me. He stood in his place, tense and full of anger, pity and sympathy. "What will violence do? You can't solve anything with a fist... Though I know you'd love to make him hurt just as much as I am, you will only hurt me more. Besides, he's not worth it." Joe looked backed at me with an emotionless look on his face.
"Why shouldn't he suffer?"
"He is suffering. He hates himself for what he did. He wishes he could take everything back, but the damage is done... You don't have to defend me-"
"No, but I want to," Joe looked down at my hand on his arm and gently grabbed my hand in his. "You don't have to protect him, Sam."
"No, but who will? ... It's late," I pulled my hand away from him and took a step back. "I should probably go back to sleep. Night." Just as I turned around and was about to step into my apartment I felt Joe's hand gently tug on my arm and made me turn around. Suddenly, I was wrapped in his arms, enveloped by a hug. At first I just stood there awkwardly, not knowing how to react. Without even realizing my arms wrapped around him, returning the hug.
"Night." Joe said softly, unwrapping his arms from around me and nodding goodbye before walking down the stairs. I slowly walked into my apartment and locked the door behind me. With a smile on my face, I went to bed and fell asleep like a baby, completely forgetting about my invitation for Javin to come over.
Turned out to be a better night then I expected.