A few weeks later...
December 25, 2019
West Grove
7:56 p.m
Loud screaming had woken me up. I heard people screaming names, cheering, whistling, and everyone is clapping. Opening my eyes, I saw a lot of people around me dressed in pretty, fancy outfits. We are at a familiar park, and there are round tables covered with floral cloths, and white chairs around them. The sky is dark blue, and the stars and moon are shining down at us. People are standing up while clapping and cheering, while I'm sitting down with my head resting on someone's shoulder. I lifted my head up and yawned at the same time.
"Ah, good you're awake. Perfect timing." Idris is smirking at me. As always, he is dressed all fancy, wearing a black suit with a white buttoned up shirt and a black bow tie. His hair is also done all neat. On his other side, Eleanor is also clapping, wearing a dark green dress while her red hair is curled up. Glancing down at my own attire, I realized, I am also wearing a suit and tie, and my old round glasses that I now only use when there are other humans around, for cover up. "Just smile and clap."
Yawning once again, I moved my head to where everyone else is looking at.
Eva and Nina are kissing. They are both wearing white gowns, while an old male wearing a black tux stands aside while smiling. An officiant. At the other side, not too far from them is Drew, wearing a floor length red dress, black hair straightened, clapping while crying shamelessly at the two.
My eyes widened as I realized where I am and what is currently happening.
"Oh, shit." I missed the wedding ceremony. Nina and Eva's wedding ceremony! But it wasn't my fault. Idris kept me up all night because he couldn't decide what to wear for the women's big day. He asked me which one of his many suits he should wear when they literally look the same. It wasn't even his own wedding day, and he made a big deal with his outfit. "Don't tell Eva I fell asleep. She will have my head. She will rip it off my body with her bear hands, without even Nina helping her. Don't tell Drew either. She'll tell Lysander and they'll both make fun of me and Lysander will accidentally let it slip around the two and they're going to kill me and it'll be your fault." Just then, the newly married wives passed by us, and I began to clap vigorously. "You guys! That was so beautiful! Congratulations, Mrs. Collins-Mariano and Mrs. Mariano-Collins."
The two were beaming and crying with happiness.
"You could've joined us, you know." Eva sniffled, her right arm hooked with Nina's left. "You two and Drew and Lysander. We could have had that Three Wedding event and it would have been thrice the love."
I opened my mouth to speak, but Idris did it first. "Oh, we'll have our own wedding. It'll be even bigger and better than this. It'll be such a fun, great wedding, no one will ever fall asleep even during the ceremony."
My face burned as I elbowed him.
"Was that you who I heard snoring?" Nina narrowed her eyes at me, crossing her arms. "You're not slick, Nazari."
My own boyfriend sold me out.
A prick and a traitor.
"Actually, I'm afraid that was the werewolf." Drew joined us, nodding her head to the other side of our table, where Lysander is still sleeping with his head down. Like me, he is wearing a suit and tie, though his red tie isn't done right and his black jacket is tight on him, making his muscular arms stand out.
"Well." Eva scoffs, marching her way to the sleeping werewolf.
"Oh, I can't look." Drew squeals, scanning the decorated park. "I'm going to go say hi to Spooky! Tell me when Eva is done mangling the love of my life." With that, the girl runs to another table far away from ours.
We took over the park for the night. The clan and I helped in decorating it for the event. Lots of pretty and colorful lights, different kinds of flowers, all friendly and not poisonous.
Each white clothed table has seven silver and gold colored plastic chairs. Overall, there are about ten tables, so there are at least seventy people at this event. Our table is the biggest and prettiest table, mainly because it's where Eva and Nina will be sitting during the reception, which starts right now that the ceremony is finished.
Nina had announced to let the party start, and the DJs of the night, Caleb and Devin, began playing music and people cheered instantly. The caterers hired for the night got ready as guests started lining up for the food that they prepared for us. The guests consist of humans, the majority, and vampires such as me, Idris, Caleb and Devin, all wearing colored contact lenses so we don't scare the humans. A few hunters are also here, such as Sakura, Viola, and surprisingly, Dean. After Drew erased the memories of all humans in the country, we all had gone to The Citadel to let them know what we did and everything that happened during the war. Just as Dean had promised, Viola is now the head of the hunters, with Sakura being her second in command, and their business is nothing but hunting evil supernatural beings. As far as I know, they haven't caught anyone yet, which is good.
Ulysses' clan took one table. Not all of them could make it. The only ones here are two vampires that we've been acquaintance with, the twins, who are in charge of the event's music, the clan leader himself, who cleaned up pretty well and looks quite decent with a suit and blue contact lenses. His hair is now very short, too. The hunters took the table beside them. There's Sakura, wearing a black buttoned up shirt and burgundy jacket and pants and black boots, and Viola wearing a blue fancy top and a black long skirt. There's Dean, wearing a simple plain buttoned up and black pants, Viola's mother wearing a pink dress, and a couple of other hunters.
Then, there's two tables with Idris' clan. All of them are here, because all of them are basically family. To me and to Idris, and they've gotten close with Eva and Nina too. Of course, we miss Parker, the only one from our clan that didn't make it after the war against the witches, and we miss him, no matter how hard headed he got sometimes.
At another table, right next to ours, there's Doctor Maxine, wearing a white suit, sitting on her wheelchair, chatting with Enoch, wearing a navy blue suit, and Miles, sitting right next to Enoch, wearing a black suit with blue tie to match Enoch's outfit. The two had really clicked when they met. When we all arrived at West Grove, I called my mom, telling her that everything is okay. Of course, she had no idea what was talking about, because Drew erased her memories of the witches, but she, my brothers, Doctor Maxine, and Miles went to West Grove anyway. In there, We told them everything. When I spoke to mom about me being a vampire for the second time, her action was pretty much the same. She did freak out more, but then she saw Idris and pulled him in a hug and called him 'My future son-in-law!' She has no idea how old Idris is, but she now knows all about vampires, and witches. I wasn't going to tell her about it, but I realized she needed to know everything because she is my mother and she's been supporting and loving me with everything that I've done, so it's the least that she deserves.
My mom, Theo and Demitri are here, joining Doctor Maxine's table. My mom is dressed in a colorful, floral dress while my twin brothers are wearing normal clothes, t-shirts and jeans.
At another table, the other side of ours, there's the family and friends of the brides. Nina's parents lives in Puerto Rico and they couldn't make it tonight, but the two will have their honeymoon there, so they will get to visit them. Eva's parents are both here though. Renell and Nadia Collins, along with Nina's uncle, Leonardo, and Nina's 28 year old cousin, cousin, Xavier, who is currently flirting with Alana Rojas, Drew's older sister, who I believe is the same the same age is Leo, maybe a year older. She looks a lot like Drew, but not as much as Astrid resembled her. Alana is taller, way taller, than Drew. I think Drew missed the tall genes. She has long brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a yellow dress.
Alana's arrival was pretty great.
As soon as Nina and Eva decided that they will get married at Christmas, just a month after our adventure, the wedding planning was absolutely crazy. The dresses, the venue, the food, the invitations, everything was hectic but as of today, I'd say everything went according to plan. A couple of weeks ago, Drew had called her sister, who is a lawyer that lives in New York. She was very nervous on calling Alana, because the two have drifted apart after what happened with their parents, but Eva wanted Alana to come, since she was also good friends with the woman. While we were all having a movie marathon at Drew and Lysander's apartment two days after the call, that's when Alana had arrived. It was hilarious because we were watching a scary movie when she knocked. I had a bowl of popcorn in my hands, and I jumped at the sudden noise, and ended up spilling the snack at Idris' face since he was sitting right next to me. Alana met Lysander and questioned him as if she is Drew's mother, and the werewolf, an alpha wolf, was terrified and became a stuttering fool. When she met me and Idris, she shook our hands and smiled nicely. We didn't really know what to say to each other, so it was slightly awkward.
The other guests include Spooky, or Ezra, a good friend of mine and Drew, Eva and Nina's coworkers, their neighbors, and the other people that the guests had taken with them. Overall, it is a pretty big event. There are a few children, though my siblings are the youngest. Mostly everyone here are adults, so there will be lots of drinking.
More importantly, I will be drinking a lot.
I deserve it. I haven't drank ever since me and Idris went to Eureka! at San Francisco. There are alcohol on tables without adults, including ours, so I pour myself a margarita and glanced at Idris, who watched me while smiling.
"What are you staring at, traitor?" He would have let Eva rip my head off.
"What, I can't stare at my favorite hobbit?"
Don't listen to him, Rami. He is a traitor. He betrayed you and snitched on you for sleeping at your friend's ceremony. Don't look at his stupid smiling beautiful face. Don't look at him. Pretend he's not there.
"For the last time, I'm going to remind you two that I can read minds and I'm reading both of yours from the other table and I could hear the sexual tension." Eleanor said from the other table. The other members of the clan heard and all shot us smirks and giggles.
I chugged down a champagne glass full of margarita and grinned at the two vampires. "I don't even know him. Or you. Who are you people? I'm going to get in line for fries and I will be there for the rest of my life. Goodbye."
***
Shoving fries down my throat, I watched as Drew dances in the middle of the tables, the dancing area, along with many other guests. As the girl dances, Lysander, right in front of her, refuses to move a muscle. He's just standing there stiffly and awkwardly. He's just like Idris, who is sitting next to me, fully content with a blueberry pie he's eating right now. I'd ask him to dance, but he looks too happy with his pie, so I'll let him finish. He's been eating the damn pie for about fifteen minutes now.
Eva and Nina are dancing together. So are Nico, Dorian, Rhea, and Fey. Alana is still talking to Leo in their table while the others are dancing. Doctor Maxine is still on the table, having a conversation with my Physics teacher, who was late at the party. Both women are moving their heads along with the beat of the song, while near them, Miles and Enoch drink and chat. Everyone is having a good time.
"Out of everyone in here, who do you think is most likely to become the next president?"
The vice president took the big spot after General Roman released the news that there has been a massacre overnight at The White House. A man called Uriel had done it, and has been found dead by the soldiers. People bought it. Some people were upset by the news. Most people celebrated. The Vice President is just as horrible as the president, but it's better than having the witches as leaders. Still, everyone's lives went on. No one knows the truth, other than us.
"Alana." The vampire responded, scanning the room while chewing on a blueberry. "Definitely Alana Rojas."
"Alright, fine." I took another sip of my drink. "Who do you think is the next person to get pregnant?"
"Andromeda." He answered without hesitation, making me narrow my eyes at him. We both know he had a vision about Drew and Lysander having a son, who I will apparently be calling 'Tris', whatever that means.
Idris and I watched Drew, who is now attempting to get Lysander to dance with her, and failing really badly. The wolf said he wanted to eat more tacos, trying to escape her. "Are you sure about that? What if she dumps his sour wolf ass because he prefers to eat some tacos rather than to dance?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I turned to Idris, smirking. "Just like someone I know, who prefers to eat his blueberry pie more than to dance with his most amazing, most handsome, smartest, nicest, coolest, boyfriend of all time."
Every time the label comes up, I get all giggly inside. Not that I'd ever tell him that.
It just feels so surreal.
Me, out of all the people in the multiverse. He chose me.
It all happened very casually and quickly.
A few days after we arrived at West Grove, the clan persuaded me to move in with them in their house. And I agreed. So that day, moving day, in my new room, Parker's old room, I was arranging my stuff when Idris came out of nowhere, looking as if he just got out of the shower. Hair damped, unbuttoned shirt, I was a mess just when I looked at him. Then, he decided to just casually drop the question. "I've reserved a dinner for you and me at this restaurant tonight. Amazing place, delicious food, lovely workers. They even said they will give us free dessert." I was already nodding my head then. Until he added, "However, they will only give us the free dessert if we are a couple. So, will you be my..., what do humans call it again? Boyfriend?' He was a mess himself, despite sounding so casual. His face was as red as his eyes, but I'm sure I looked worse.
"What do vampires call it?"
"We say 'treasure of our heart'." The prick winked. "If you prefer that term, then, Rami Nazari, will you be the treasure of my heart?"
I made sure to smack his arm before I answered. "You sappy, dramatic mosquito. I'd be happy to."
Every time the word is mentioned, I think of that time and it always makes me smile like an idiot.
"If you wanted to dance, just say so." The smirking traitor took a big piece of the pie, leaving nothing but crumbs. Well, at least he's not one to waste food. "Come on, then. I've been working on my dance moves." He took my hand and led me to the dancing area, mixing ourselves with the others.
"Oh, Einstein." I cringed at him. "Usually when people say that, they're about to dance really really badly."
And I couldn't be any more RIGHT.
As soon as Caleb played another upbeat song, the prince pulled a Danny Zuko inspired move. Now that I think about it, he and Eleanor watched Grease a few nights ago. Speaking of the female vampire, she's not too far from us, and she's dancing exactly like Idris. "Oh my god." I pursed my lips to hide a smile, but I couldn't do it.
Smiling is inevitable when Idris is around. And if this vampire is going to stick around for the rest of my life, I'd be smiling forever.
***
I rested my chin on Idris' shoulder as the two of us danced closely together at the current song. At the moment, I couldn't help but think, this is what happiness feels like. I'm with someone who makes me very happy, and someone that I make very happy, which makes me even more happy. In the next months, I will be returning to school and my job at Silverstein. All my friends are here, with their love ones. Nina and Eva, currently dancing along, got married, after all. It may have been delayed due to certain assholes, but it still happened and I'm so happy for them. They deserve all the happiness in the world. Even when Nina had been turned into a supernatural being, turned for the purpose of killing her own lover, she remained strong, she fought for her love and Eva accepted her above all. If that isn't true love, I don't know what is. Similarly, there's Drew and Lysander, who returned at our table to eat some snacks together. They've been in hell and back. I remember when Drew was telling me about Lysander, and how he acted around her when they just met. I told her, maybe she's his mate, and she literally had no clue. And now, they're bonded, mated, and are bound to have a family not too long from now. A werewolf and a magical human. Who would have thought all of this, everything that happened, all started because of them? Without them, I wouldn't have met Idris.
Then, there's my mom and my siblings. My family. Theo and Demitri are dancing together, though not in sync with the beat, and there's my beautiful mother, who keeps glancing at me and Idris while smiling and giggling. Throughout my life, she's only met three people that I've had relationships with. The first one is a girl, in high school, freshman year. I asked her to the homecoming dance because I heard she had a crush on me, and that everyone from my grade was going to be there and they're all going with dates, so I went with her. After the dance, I took her to my house, she kissed me and I remembered feeling so weird. It felt so wrong. Another time was with a boy, in senior year. This time, it was a friend of mine. One time, we were at my room playing games, when he confessed that he liked guys instead of girls. He told me how he feels, and how he realized that he was gay, and as the words came out of his mouth, I found that I could relate to him. I confessed to him that I may be like him, and then fast forward a few weeks, we ended up together, and fast forward to the end of the year, we separated because he turned into an arrogant asshole who's going to an Ivy League college and made fun of me for going to a community college.
And then, there's Idris. I am a little terrified. There are a few 'what ifs' in my mind about our relationship, but this time, it feels different. It is terrifying to know that anything can happen, but it's also exciting. The spontaneity. It just feels right. With him, I could see so much in our future, together. Ever since I've been with him, even before we realized our feelings for each other, there was always something there. Something to look forward to. When we were in Europe, I remember waking up every day, wondering what moments I'd be having with the prince. He gives me something to be excited for, every day. Even if it's just going out to eat, or a walk in the park, or even just watching TV together, there's something there. I don't know what I did to deserve him, or who was responsible for messing with his head and tricking him into falling for me, but I'm very thankful.
If it was Santa Claus, thank you Santa. I promise, I'll stay off the naughty list for a year.
"You have some weird shit going on in your head, Nazari."
I blinked as Eleanor passed by, holding a glass of champagne.
"Every fucking time." I groaned at my warming cheeks. I closed my eyes for a second, hiding my face on Idris' shoulders while he rubs my back, mumbling a 'There, there, hobbit' which had me biting my lip to stop laughing. Just then, the people around us gasped and awed, which caused me to immediately bring my head up, almost hitting Idris' face while doing so. "What? What's happening?" I asked eagerly at the crowd, only to realize that they're looking right at us. Or rather, what's above our heads.
The dance floor is being lit up by pretty lights hanging on thin, fancy wires to make it look all cool and hipster. The clan and I put up these lights by ourselves. And I know for a fact that we never hanged any mistletoe on them. But what am I seeing right now, directly above me and Idris? A fucking mistletoe.
Someone is getting too festive here.
If it's Santa Claus, I swear...
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Everyone chanted, and my face burned bright red.
My mom is the loudest one cheering. Sweet Einstein.
The other people on the dance floor had stopped dancing just so they could watch us. Even Caleb and Devin paused on the music. Eva and Nina are holding each other while giggling. Ulysses was smirking along with the rest of the vampires.
"Quick." I rested my hands on Idris' shoulders. "I'll pull on the wires over us and all the lights will fall. I'll create a diversion, then you and I will make a run for it. We're vampires. We can run really fast and they can't chase us."
Idris only grinned, flashing his fangs that humans have been staring at the entire night. "Remember when I told you, there are moments when I'd wonder to myself, why am I so attracted to you? This is one of those moments. You really are something else." I opened my mouth to scoff at him, but he continued. "We have an audience, hobbit. We don't want to disappoint them, do we?" A drama queen, always. "Now, let's give them a good show."
The moment our lips grazed each other, the audience, mainly my mom, cheered loudly. Butterflies grew wild in my stomach, just as they had been ever since that first kiss at the waterfall.
When we parted, I made sure to glare at Silas, who was whistling just seconds ago. Moving my blue-green contact lens covered eyes, I found our table, where Drew and Lysander are sitting and cheering. I saw the tip of Drew's index finger lighting up red. It was her. The made the mistletoe appear by her magic.
After the music return and people went back to dancing and whatever they were preciously doing before Drew's scheme, Idris and I went to our table, joining Drew, Lysander, Eva, and Nina.
"You suck." I stuck my tongue out at Drew. "I know it was you."
"Me? Do what? I don't know what you're talking about." The girl asked innocently.
"Hmph." I crossed my arms and legs and looked away, making the newly married couple laugh.
"This one is a special one, only for the newly married Mrs!" Caleb screamed at the microphone, making us vampires, werewolf, and hybrid, cringe at the loudness. "Eva and Nina! Come on down!"
"But the cake." Nina cried at the red velvet cake she has yet to eat. Idris and Lysander helped Nina choose the flavor of the cake while Drew and I helped Eva what kinds of flowers to add with the decorations. I joked about putting some Venus Flytrap, and Eva actually put them at the center of every table. They did help though. Any flies who try to come near our food, the plants would eat them.
"Come on." Eva took her wife's hand and brought the two of them in the center of the place. The floor cleared out, everyone sat on their chairs, giving all the space to the newly married couple.
As soon as the song began, both Nina and Eva looked surprised. Then, tears immediately steamed down on their faces. "Oh my god." Nina said though tears, keeping her hands on Eva's waist. Eva couldn't say anything. Tears just rolled down like storm. Just watching them crying makes me want to cry.
I don't even know why they're crying. This isn't even my wedding and I'm so emotional.
Idris rested his chin on my shoulder, watching the women dance. I glanced at a smiling Lysander, who had an arm draped around a teary eyed Drew. She must have felt me staring because she looked at me and noticed the slight confusion I'm expressing. "This is the song that was playing when Nina asked Eva to be her girlfriend at a high school party."
"Oh." I can't even imagine how Nina and Eva are feeling right now. They're probably thinking about the first time they got together, and the first time they danced to this song, and all the days they shared until this day. They've come a long way.
"Are you crying?" The prince's whisper ticked my neck. "That is adorable."
"Shut up. I was not. It's just suddenly hot in here and I'm sweating."
"Lies."
"Ssh. You're ruining the beautiful moment."
"I am - "
I picked up fries on my plate and shoved them inside Idris' mouth.
***
"Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world! She took the midnight train going anywhere!"
"Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit! He took the midnight train going anywhere!"
Drew and Eva sang loudly along with every other person in the party, dancing together. About 70% of the guests are drunk, and surprisingly, I am not one of them. Somehow, I've consumed more fries and lemonade than alcohol. I thought I'd be the first one drunk, but no. Lysander, sitting across the table, has been drinking alcohol but the poor werewolf can't get drunk.
"Boys." Nina dropped two opened bottles of beer in front of me and Idris. "I have a gift for you." From the other table, I saw that she had given the other vampires a bottle, too.
"You want every vampire to get drunk at this party? Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked with a raised brow. "It won't be pretty."
"It's not alcohol, silly."
"Oh. Well, here you go, treasure of my heart. It's all yours." I lifted the bottle and helped Idris drink some of the non-alcoholic drink that Nina had given us.
The vampire's eyes widened, licking his lips. "That's not alcohol, at all. Nope. Absolutely not."
"A hunter friend of ours found a horse. Got hit by a truck. Didn't make it."
"What the fuck." I cringed at the two of them. "What kind of - " I gasped as realization hit me in the middle of a sentence. I smelled the bottle. Blood. "Wow." I drank half of it as if it is alcohol, then drank lemonade right after. I could feel energy building up inside me, as if I'm being charged. "Thanks."
Lysander laughed loudly. "You have a little something on you, Rami."
"What?"
I used my brand new phone to see my reflection. Blood stains my lips.
"It's a look." I grinned at the werewolf, who suddenly jumped in surprise. Reaching down from the table, Lysander picked up a small black furred creature, who had a french fry in his mouth. "So that's where my other fry went. I thought Idris took it."
Lysander dropped Hemlock on the table. "What is he doing here?"
Funny story. Apparently, Hemlock has a human form. Familiars are also shapeshifters, but they need a witch to shift. Drew had done a spell to Hemlock without us knowing. Lysander and I went to the mall to buy some clothes, and when we arrived at her apartment, there was this teenage looking boy with black hair and green eyes, naked, while eating cereal, and Drew was on the living room watching Doctor Who like he wasn't there. Of course, Lysander and I both freaked out. Lysander had almost shifted to his wolf form, ready to attack the naked boy who commented how pretty Drew looked while watching TV, and so she explained that it was Hemlock. It didn't make Lysander like the creature any better. But I thought it was hilarious.
"He's probably here to watch Drew."
The werewolf sent me a glare before shooing the cat away to another table. Hemlock ran to my brothers after taking a piece of grape that was in Lysander's plate. I swear, that cat loves to get on the werewolf's nerves. Scoffing, Lysander decided to leave the table and join a slightly drunk Drew in dancing. Nina disappeared to another table, leaving me alone with Idris.
Idris let out a yawn, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. "Aw, is the prince of vampires sleepy?" It is almost midnight, so I wouldn't blame him. I'd usually be tired at this time too, but I had a pretty nice nap during Nina and Eva's wedding ceremony, so I'm still good. I bet those two will purposely sleep on my wedding ceremony as a payback. "Shall I take you to your chambers, your highness?"
His eyes dilated before smirking. "Why, yes, you shall. And I am inviting you to join me."
"Oh, I don't know. I am having so much fun here..." I trailed off, scanning the room. Everyone is having fun with their own friends and partners. If Idris leaves, I'd be that one awkward person at the party who would follow their only friend everywhere. "Screw it. Let's get out of here."
Within matters of minutes, we reached the clan house, which isn't too far from the park. Idris took the key from his pocket and opened the door, and I went straight to my own room, jumping at my soft bed and hugging my warm blanket. It wasn't long until the prince followed, hovering over me while wearing a mischievous grin.
"I thought you were sleepy, huh?"
"An excuse to get out of there. I am quite an excellent actor, aren't I?"
"Mhmm." I nodded, running my hands through his hair. "You know what else you're excellent at?" He leaned down, letting our foreheads touch. "At betraying me and snitching on me. You told Eva and Nina I fell asleep at their ceremony."
"Not directly."
"They would have killed me."
An eye roll. "I wouldn't have let them. Anyone who wants to hurt you, they'll answer to me."
"So let's say I have a professor who hurt me because he failed me in a class..."
Another eye roll came from the prince before his lips covered mine. "I'll take care of it. I'll take care of you." He whispered against my lips, running one hand down my chest and another at my side. Closing my eyes, I parted my lips apart and pulled Idris closer, every part of our bodies touching. One whisper of his name, and teeth nipped on my neck. With the light from the moon beaming through my window, Idris faced me again, smiling brightly before I brought my head up and captured his lips passionately.