Just like I had promised him, as soon as the bell rang for lunchtime, I allowed Zayn to pull me into an empty classroom, lock the door and feed from me. He had been gentle and careful not to get blood on my school shirt. His lips had lingered for a minute too long before he had thanked me and healed the wound. I'd watched in fascination as the dark bags under his tired eyes vanished from sight. His powers still fascinated yet terrified me.
When school ended, I ran as fast I could to the shops, trying to find something to buy him for his birthday. He had no idea that I knew, so I was hoping to use the element of surprise on him the next morning. I bought him a card which read 'Happy Birthday' across the front in a bold font. I wasn't sure what else to get him; a card wasn't enough after he had bought us tickets to go to Paris. As I made my way through the clothing aisles, I pondered the idea of buying him a Gothic T-shirt with a vampire on the front but finally decided it wasn't very appropriate, even if it was only for a joke. He most likely wouldn't have found it humorous. Thinking of all the Summery clothing he had also gave me at Christmas, I decided to return the favour, and so I picked out some shorts and T-shirts he might have liked. Just before I left to buy the items, I threw some sun-cream into my basket.
***
The next morning, I woke up early, just after six in the morning. My family were still asleep, so it was the perfect opportunity to sneak out without being interrogated. My mother liked to know where I was going a lot of the time.
Once I was showered and dressed, I made my way downstairs with Zayn's presents under one arm and my bag in the other. I carefully unlocked the door and closed it behind me, so I wouldn't wake anyone. I crossed the road over to Zayn's house and opened the front door without knocking. I knew that he trusted me enough to let myself in, and so I done just that. Besides, he never locked his home anyway.
I made my way into the living room where I saw Harry sleeping on the couch, with one of his crime books open across his chest. One of his hands was behind his head and the other was lying limply off the side of the couch. He was snoring quietly.
I tip-toed my way up the stairs, hoping his sensitive hearing wouldn't pick up my noises as I made my way to Zayn's room. I knew that Zayn would still be asleep - I'd quickly learned he was a lover of siestas. I carefully pushed the door to his room open and peered inside, wondering if the slightly creaky door had awakened him from his slumber. It hadn't. He was lying face-down on his bed, the covers draped over his waist, his bare back showing.
I felt my cheeks burn at the sight of him, asleep and completely vulnerable. He looked so much more peaceful and younger while he was sleeping, as if his two hundred years hadn't caught up to him yet. I cleared my throat and knocked on the cabinet to my left, trying to wake him. He remained motionless.
"Zayn?" I called out, "Are you awake yet?" For all I knew, he could have been messing with me, just pretending. "Zayn?" I tried again, but when he didn't budge, I let out a sigh and made my way over to him, carefully placing the quickly-wrapped present on the bottom of the bed before jumping up beside him. I kicked a leg over his waist so I was straddling him and I tapped his back with my finger tips.
"Urgh," I heard being muttered into the pillows and I grinned. Ever so slowly, he lifted his head from the pillow and let out a yawn. "Harry..." he started, his voice croaky, "I really hope that's not you."
I laughed at his comment, "It's Laura."
He let out a throaty chuckle before resting his head back down on the pillows, "Good morning," he mumbled. I realised he had no intention of getting up, so I pulled the covers back and got in beside him, keeping my eyes on his face. I didn't even know if he was clothed below. Zayn turned his head the other way to face me, his hair messy and eyes still closed.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"Early," I replied.
He opened one eye, "How early?" he questioned.
"Very."
"You're putting off telling me, aren't you?" he asked and I nodded. He groaned, "Then, I'm guessing it's like ... five in the morning. Am I right?"
I shook my head, "It's actually about half six. I wanted to spend the day celebrating your birthday, that's all."
At my words, both of his eyes opened and he frowned. "How do you know it's my birthday?"
"Harry told me," I admitted. I was sure he already knew the answer before I had said it.
Zayn rolled his eyes, "Of course he did. What's beside my leg?" he questioned, wriggling his leg around under the sheets. I peered over my shoulder at the present and I carefully sat up to retrieve them.
"A little birthday token," I said, handing him the gift. "Things that might come in handy for France."
Zayn raised an eyebrow before he carefully began picking at the wrapping paper. I studied his hands as he did so, my mind slowly beginning to wander. I thought of all the things he could use those hands for - all the things he could do to me with those hands... I pushed the dirty thoughts away before I looked up into his eyes, smirking as a confused expression washed over his features.
"Sun cream?" he asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. I nodded my head and put it to the side, motioning for him to continue looking at his gifts.
"So you don't burn in the sun," I stated and he looked up at me, shaking his head.
"You're nuts," he commented and I shrugged before I watched him look over the clothing. "Thank you," he said, leaning forward to hug me. I allowed him to wrap his arms around me and I done the same, embracing him as he breathed heavily into my neck. When he pulled away, there was no hiding the way his pupils dilated as his gaze moved down from my eyes to my lips. He instantly closed the gap between us, and soon we were kissing roughly in a tangle of limbs and bed sheets.
Soon, I was lying back with Zayn hovering over me, his lips trailing kisses from my lips down my throat. I gently let my hands wander over the expanse of his bare chest, across his collar bones, tattoos and to his biceps, feeling the hard muscles bulging as he held himself above me. Once, lying like this with him had felt awkward, but now it was more of a common occurrence.
"Thank you for a lovely birthday gift," he said when he pulled away, looking into my eyes.
"It's fine," I answered quietly, "I wasn't quite sure what to get you. So I want to take you out for lunch later."
Zayn laughed darkly, his fangs slowly lengthening, "Why go out for lunch when we could have it right here ... right now?" he murmured, kissing my neck softly. I shuddered at his tone of voice, the way it seemed deeper, full of lust. For some reason, I wanted to let him drink from me and my own desperation led me to say the next words.
"Do it," I whispered, placing a hand on the back of his neck to guide him closer. "You shouldn't be starving yourself the way you've been doing. It'll do you some good," I finished. I was a little disappointed when he pulled away and shook his head.
"Laura, I was joking. As much as I would love to ... I can't," he said, pulling away from me and lying back against the sheets. I remained where I was, lying on the bed next to him. I let out a sigh at his decline.
"Shame," I muttered, "It's your birthday after all... I might have let you take more than usual." I said, twirling my thumbs together as I waited for him to reply. Instead, I looked over and found him sitting up, staring at me wildly.
"Come closer," he whispered, using his finger to coax me towards him. As soon as I was sitting beside him, he pulled me closer and kissed me once again, tugging playfully at my bottom lip. He reached up and pulled my pony tail to one side before kissing my neck roughly, his other hand sliding down to my waist to pull me on top of him.
Then he bit me. I winced as he did, because like very other time - it hurt. It always did, but I found myself becoming used to it, biting my tongue to stop myself from yelling out. I remained silent as I let him feed, my head soon becoming dizzy and my muscles heavy. I allowed him to hold me close, against his chest as his tongue lapped up the blood running down my neck.
I wondered what it was like to be a vampire. What was it like to have no choice but to live off of the blood of others? What did it feel like having fangs and piercing the skin of humans and animals with them? Was it like biting into an apple - tough at first but then easier? So many thoughts were running through my mind, and only when Zayn shifted beneath me did my concentration break. He rolled us over, pinning me beneath him once again, and I gasped as his fangs tugged at my skin a little harder than usual.
He pulled back and licked his lips, the first thing escaping from his mouth was: "Are you alright?"
I nodded weakly, giving him a small smile. He knew it drained me, having blood taken so suddenly from the body, and yet he was always so gentle and worried afterwards. I let him place his wrist against my lips, his own blood being exchanged for the amount he had taken for himself. My tiredness vanished and my muscles were strong once again. The thought of blood drinking still seemed disgusting to me, but the more Zayn and I done it, the less repulsive it became. I knew that if I didn't let Zayn heal me, questions would be asked about the strange marks on my neck.
We lay in silence for a few moments, the only sound being our heavy breathing. Zayn pulled me to his side, my cheek resting against his bare chest and I draped my arm over his waist.
"So, what do you want to do today?" I asked, closing my eyes.
"You," I heard him murmur and I frowned.
"What?" I asked him, waiting to see if he would repeat himself.
"What?" he replied, grinning widely at me. I felt my cheeks redden and I lowered my gaze, trying not to let my embarrassment show. "Laura, I was joking."
"Ah," I muttered. "I still want to go out for lunch."
"Let me up and I'll get dressed," Zayn said, pushing me aside gently. I averted my eyes just in case he was in fact not clothed waist-down. "I'm decent, Laura. Harry's the one you need to look out for - you could get an eyeful one day."
"He sleeps naked?" I asked.
"Occasionally," he said as he pulled some jeans on. He turned to face me, his hands sliding his belt through the loops slowly. "He hasn't done it since he's been here, but he's been bad for it." I watched for a second too long as he tightened the belt around his waist.
"Where do you fancy going for food?" I asked. Zayn pulled a T-shirt over his head and shrugged.
"It's still early in the morning, Laura," he said, "Lunch is a little while away."
"Well, we can go out for breakfast then," I said.
"I've already had mine," he said, his eyes darting up to look at me. He gave me a sly glance before looking around for more clothes.
"I mean real food," I corrected. "You knew what I meant."
He nodded, "I don't mind. Where would you recommend?"
I thought for a moment before I smirked up at him.
***
We ended up in Jo's, eating a fry up and drinking coffee. I poked around at the pork sausages on my plate as the black butterflies suddenly came to mind. Would it really be so bad to bring them up? They meant death, and Zayn had been using them as a symbol from the start. He still used them.
"What's wrong?" Zayn asked, breaking my line of thought. I let out a sigh and leaned back in my chair. "You look miserable."
I shook my head, "I don't want to bring it up at the moment," I admitted. We were having a good time, chatting about previous birthdays and the silly presents we had bot received over the years. I reminded Zayn of the pink lingerie he had chosen for me once, and told him of how it had been a joke present from my friends. He'd laughed at that. I didn't want to ruin our day out.
Zayn reached forward and took my hand in his, "Tell me."
I let out a sigh and looked down at our interlocked fingers, "I found out that black butterflies are a sign of death."
Zayn's face was hard; his expression remained frozen, as if carved from stone. It took a while before he moved, but when he did, all he did was nod. "I know. That's why I like using them. They're pretty but show the true meaning of what I originally intend to do to my victims."
I let myself glance up at him, and I saw that his eyes were fixed on me. I nodded slowly before asking in a shaky voice, "Are you still thinking about killing me?"
My eyes widened when he didn't reply instantly. He sat in silence as if pondering the thought and I let out a weak, little laugh in disbelief. I pulled my hand away from him. "You're honestly thinking about?" I whispered in shock. After everything we'd been through over the months we had known each other, he was still considering whether or not I would be his next meal. "I'm leaving." I announced before I grabbed my coat and began to stand.
"No!" Zayn gasped, reaching for my arm and pulling me back down into my seat. "I'm not! I'm not going to, Laura. I'm sorry. Things have changed since I first met you... Please believe me?"
I narrowed my eyes at him before placing my coat back over the arm of the chair. He released my arm slowly, the worry in his eyes unmissable. He truly meant it. He wasn't going to kill me after all.
We ate in silence for a few moments before I decided to speak, "I did say that I didn't want to talk about it."
"Yeah... Sorry," he said sheepishly. I watched as Zayn ate his food, his nose crinkling every now and again. I knew he didn't enjoy human food as much as he once had, and I felt sorry for him. Living off of blood must get very boring. Or did it? If it was the life essence of others that kept him alive, was it in fact easy to get bored of?
"It's fine," I finally said.
"You know," he started, "I also believe that butterflies mean something else."
"Yeah? What's that?" I asked, curiously.
Zayn leaned forward, "I believe that girls should be like butterflies; beautiful to look at but ever so difficult to catch."
I laughed at his words. He was trying to flatter me now and make me forget the little argument we had just had.
"Well, you've caught me, it seems," I said, smiling down at my half empty plate. He had made it quite clear that I was 'his' human. He'd called me his 'human companion' countless times.
"Maybe physically but not emotionally," Zayn said, looking at me intently. I frowned at his words, not quite sure what he meant. He rolled his eyes at me and smiled. "I haven't caught your heart."
I cleared my throat, a little awkwardly as Harry's words came to mind, 'Has he said he loves you yet?'. I let a small smile show and I took a sip of my coffee, before I turned to look at Zayn again.
"You'll have to fight harder then," I said, grinning at him.
He raised a brow, "I'm up for the challenge."
***
I held the box carefully between my hands as I pushed open Zayn's front door. I had talked my mum into making Harry a birthday cake, and I had even managed to buy some candles that could be arranged to make the number four-hundred. Zayn had suggested it, and I couldn't help but nod in agreement.
I kicked the door shut behind me and made it to the living room to find Zayn and Harry sitting together on the couch sipping beers.
"Happy Birthday, Harold!" I called as I walked over to him. Both of the vampires turned to look at me, smiles appearing on their faces.
"Laura! What a surprise!" Harry laughed, standing from where he was sitting. I placed the cake box down on the coffee table and wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug.
"Happy four-hundred-and-whatever-it-is birthday!" I said before I pointed to the box, "And I did indeed promise you a cake."
Harry's eyes widened and he leaned over the box and opened it before eyeing the cake like a hawk. He stuck a finger into the icing and brought it to his mouth.
"You weren't lying when you said your mum could make anything. This is amazing!" He said. I nodded in agreement. There was no denying that my mother was a fantastic cook. I looked over at Zayn who was still sitting comfortably in his seat, his eyes glued on me. I walked around Harry and sat down beside Zayn, leaning my head against his shoulder.
"Hello," he said before he took another sip of his beer. I watched as he placed the bottle on the table and brought his hand up to cup my cheek. I let my eyes close as he leaned forward and pecked me on the lips.
"Hey," I said, "I can't stay long. I just had to drop off Harry's present."
"How come?" he asked, sitting up to look me straight in the eye. He looked upset.
"I'm going out with Kate for a while. We need to have a girls' day out," I told him before I stood from my seat. Zayn nodded and walked me to the door, one hand holding his beer.
"You be careful. I meant it," Zayn said, resting his forehead against mine. I nodded and zipped my coat up again.
"I will be. I'm with a friend, so I don't think he'll make an appearance today," I told him reassuringly.
"That didn't stop him when you were with Megan and Hayley, did it?"
"He saw that we were fighting, so he took the opportunity to show up," I stated. I knew that if we hadn't been arguing, he would have stayed hidden so to not draw more attention to himself. He was crafty that way.
"I'm just going to Jo's for lunch. We'll be fine, I promise."
***
It was good having Kate back to how she used to be. I didn't think I'd ever be able to forgive Zayn for what he'd done to her, but things had changed since then. She was normal again, just like we had all been before Zayn had arrived in town.
Kate ate her macaroni cheese slowly, her eyes on me, "Are you looking forward to France?"
I nodded enthusiastically, "I am."
"Well, I would too if a hot, cheeky lad like Zayn was taking me to a foreign country," she said, wiggling her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes at her and stuffed some chips into my mouth, hoping to avoid further conversation. It was obvious as to what she truly wanted to ask me.
"How are things with you and Niall?" I asked, changing the conversation.
Kate grinned widely at me, "Good, real good. I mean, I've always known that he's had a thing for me - you guys always told me, and so did Liam once. He wasn't very good at being secretive, was he? By the way, how he asked me out was so cute! I was at the cinema with Marielle and Ni, because no one else could make it-"
"Yeah, I remember the many demanding texts," I laughed.
Kate nodded, "Yeah, OK, so as I was saying - Half way through the film, I could feel him looking at me. He was sitting between May and me, by the way. So I turned to look at him and I asked him what he was looking at, and he just leaned in and kissed me! Right out of the blue! But then he seemed to have realised what he'd done and pulled away and said he was sorry. He then said he had to and that he would very much appreciate it if I'd agree to go out with him to dinner on the following Friday."
"Aw, congratulations! That's cute," I agreed, smiling widely at her. It was about time the lad made a move, and to finally hear that he'd asked Kate out, was a relief. It meant I didn't have to do it for him.
"So yeah, what are you and Zayners going to be doing in France?" Kate asked. I chanced a look up at her, and there was no missing the cheeky glint in her eyes.
I cleared my throat, "Sight seeing mostly, trying the delicacies and exploring. Going to the beach ... actually leaning how to speak French fluently."
Kate laughed at that, but her face became serious once again, "Laura, as your best friend, I am allowed to ask this question and hopefully I'll receive a truthful answer..."
"I'm scared," I admitted, grinning at her as she leaned forward on the table, her chin resting on her clasped hands.
"You should be," Kate said and my eyes widened, "Have you and Zayn ever ... you know? Done anything other than kissing?"
"Well, we go on walks, go out places together," I said sarcastically.
"Laura, stop pissing about. You know what I mean," Kate said seriously. I looked away awkwardly as she continued to look at me. "Have you though?"
I took a large sip of my water and cleared my throat. It was going to be asked one day, wasn't it? But did I necessarily have to tell the truth? Even if I did lie, there was the unfortunate fact that I was an extremely bad liar. "Kind of."
"So, has he felt you up?" Kate urged.
I felt my cheeks reddening, giving me away instantly. I nodded.
Kate laughed out, "I knew it! Was it above or below waist? Or possibly ... both?"
"Above," I answered truthfully. Kate raised a brow in question. "Trust me, just above."
"Yeah, I kind of thought you wouldn't let him take it too far," Kate said, laughing quietly to herself.
I frowned at her choice of words, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, I know you, Laura." Kate started, "You're shy and this is your first official boy friend."
I considered her words and found myself nodding, "I suppose you're right."
"Of course I am," Kate said and I laughed. After a few moments of silence, she spoke once again, "How was it?"
"Er, surprisingly nice," I admitted, remembering how it had felt to have Zayn's hands on me. There was no point in saying anything other than the truth. Kate's eyes never left mine as she sipped her drink.
"Where was it? His house, yours?"
"Both," I answered automatically before I realised my mistake.
"It's happened more than once?" Kate gasped, her eyes wide.
Feeling bolder than I had before, I nodded. That's when I realised that I was the only one out of my friends who had experienced such intimacy with a partner. We told each other everything, and it seemed that I was the most experienced now. We had all assumed it would be Kate, but apparently not.
"So was it in the bedroom, the kitchen table or...?" Kate asked, her full attention still on me.
I took a deep breath, deciding whether or not to tell her about the time in the shower. "Once in the bedroom and ... once in the, er ... shower," I finished, my face turning an even brighter red.
Kate remained silent, pondering my words. She nodded to herself slowly before bursting out with laughter. A few other customers turned to look at us with annoyance and I smiled apologetically towards them. They looked away while shaking their heads.
Once Kate had calmed down a little, she asked me, "Honestly?" to which I nodded straight away, my face serious. "Were you naked?"
"Yeah, I was. Just me though - he was decent," I told her before she could ask.
"Seriously, I won't tell a soul, Laura. I promise. I like knowing things no one else does," Kate said, grinning up at me wickedly.
"Yeah, I know," I said, smiling back. I quickly took another bite of my food, hoping to end the conversation. Kate seemed to take the hint, and didn't press on. She just decided to drop comments every now and then.
"I can't believe it happened," she muttered to herself.
"Neither can I," I admitted.
"Oh, by the way, I need to ask you something," Kate said, finally changing the subject. "Do you remember that time we went to the beach? You know, us, the guys?"
I nodded. It was one of the happiest times of my life. One of the best memories before everything happened with Zayn.
"Well, I want to do that again on the last day in March," Kate said, "I just think it'd be nice to go somewhere on our day off before you and Zayn leave for France."
"I think that's a great idea, Kate," I said enthusiastically.
"I was also thinking that we could invite Zayn and Harry," Kate continued, glancing up at me. "I know that Marielle is fond of Harry and you and Zayn seem ... pretty far on in your relationship."
"I think that's a good idea," I said, "I'll ask them now." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Zayn asking if the pair of vampires would be up for a trip to the beach. "They'll probably say yes, Kate."
"Even better!" she beamed.
My phone buzzed in my hands and I read the text over twice. "They're coming."
"Excellent! This is going to be fun!" Kate said, as she stood from her seat. I took on last sip of my drink before I stood too, pulling my coat on over my shoulders. "Of course we'll need to buy some stuff like food, drinks and such."
I laughed, "I'll buy the crisps if you buy the marshmallows?"
"Done."
"Make sure Zayn wears swimming trunks, yeah?" Kate said.
I glanced over at her, "What else would he be wearing to the beach?"
"Nothing..." Kate trailed off, grinning wickedly, "Literally."
"Shut up," I laughed.
____________________________________________________________
Sorry for the long wait, and that this chapter is mehh, not too good.
Cazza