66 | DATE NIGHT

The middle of a school week…maybe the very worst day to plan to have a date for most people, but it’s the day Blue and I picked. I’m nervous. From the moment I realize what day it is - only *after* writing the date down on an essay in Hale’s class earlier - to the hour before the time we’d set to meet. Now I’m sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at my hands and waiting for the minutes that are dragging in slow motion.

Over the last two nights, Blue and I started taking turns in our sleep-over agreement. Just sleep. Only sleep. Monday night I slept over in his place, the evening going as smoothly as it had Sunday night. Tuesday/last night we were at the Coven, the pattern of us sleeping over in each other’s rooms forming a loose kind of pattern of seemingly innocent interactions.

To the untrained, human eye, I’m sure we look like any other couple, but I’ve started to notice things since we’re together almost all day and all night - except for the time before school where we both have to get ready, and a few hours hafter school when we have to settle the business in our respective homes. He with his Pack and me at the Coven. Then we’d meet each other at the designated place of sleep and…well…sleep. But things started to feel a little tenser between us after that first night. The unspoken tension has amplified and sensitized my senses beyond belief.

Now my heart does a jittery jig whenever he’s in my personal bubble, the urge to touch him has grown as well…all of that making it very hard for me to fall asleep - but once I do, I don’t have nightmares. Or at least, not the waking-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-screaming kind. I sleep through most of the first nightmare that invades my sleep on Tuesday, Blue waking me up long enough to reassure me everything is alright, then coaxing me back to sleep. That’s been the only time I’ve had to be woken up, and all the extra rest has made everything else fade into the background too.

Things like Mom’s sickness still create strong emotions in me, but I don’t feel like I’m going to buried alive by it all or be crushed under the weight of it. It’s almost like now that Blue and I are spending more time together, my soul’s settling. I’ve almost managed to convince myself everything’s going to be okay.

However, if there’s one thing that’s also gotten worse by the constant close proximity to my tempting mate it’s his mouth-watering scent. Now I can’t separate the scent of his blood from his usual pine and parchment smell. The irony-sweetness shouldn’t be so enticing when I’m in this more humanoid form, but it’s like the taste I got on Sunday has opened up a new vamp sense. Blue lets me supplement with blood bags like I usually do, but reminds me that we need to get used to the ‘other way’. I’m reluctant to go at his neck again, though, but agree with him.

He’d made a good point on Sunday about this thirst never really going away. And since this is the best option to get me to slowly gain control over the bloodlust, I keep the reminder in the back of my mind. But at the same time, I don’t want to mark up my mate’s skin every day - even if he does heal from my bites. I also don’t want to make him anemic by constantly feeding from him either. So far, he’s accepted my agreement to try again in a week.

In other news, Hale’s been giving me regular updates via text over Mom’s and Mikyle’s conditions. Apparently, Ritska’s got some sort of shrink degree and has been helping my ex-shadow mentally heal…though he’s still not ‘safe to be around the Coven’. Mom’s stable, taking it easy at *Lia’s* and keeping up with the new dosage of potion Mari had whipped up for her. I let Mom and Hale both know, also via text, that I’ll be visiting in the morning on my way to school from now on.

The sleeping arrangements with Blue had made me a little lazy on that front over the last few days, but I make sure to set alarms for the morning to wake me up so I have enough time to see Mom on my way to school every morning.

A fresh set of vibrations make the phone in my hand buzz as the alarm I’d set goes off, sending a wave of mixed anticipation and nervousness pulse in my fluttering heart. I clear the notification and force myself to leave the safety of my room and walk out of the Coven. The scent of Blue hovers on the air a second before I see him. Dressed in a crisp, grey button down and dark wash jeans, he’s leaning against the nearest tree, eyes that lovely monochromatic shimmer trained on me.

“Hey.” I blurt the only greeting that comes to mind. I feel the familiar pull of the bond to be near him, walking over to where he is despite the slowly growing bundle of nerves in my gut and the butterflies spreading from my midsection to the rest of me. I stop a few feet away from him, my feet suddenly feeling too heavy to lift as the roar of my nerves grows to an almost nauseating crescendo.

“Hey,” Blue’s signature smirk has my stomach flip-flopping as he pushes off the tree and comes over to stand in front of me. “Ready?” He asks softly, taking my hand and bringing the knuckles up to his mouth, our eyes still locked. The nerves inside me fizzle out and flutter through me at the feel of his skin on mine. I stutter out an affirmative sound as my brain short-circuits at the innocent contact that feels oddly sensual. The air between us becomes hotter and compressing, my blood rushing through my veins becomes an inferno of want.

“Ready?” I echo breathlessly, leaning a little closer to him as if he’s become my new center of gravity.

“For the date.” Blue reminds me softly, his grin growing into that bone-melting thousand-watt smile I love so much, making my mouth go dry and knees feel unnaturally weak. I can feel his presence in my mind, hovering at the edges of my conciousness, but clearly feeling what I am right now. A rush of embarrassment at my reaction shoots through me and I struggle to recover.

“Right. Yeah. The date.” I parrot back, clearing my throat and leaning out of his personal bubble. Though the slight distance doesn’t help in slowing my still racing heart, it does help my head clear a bit as I take a deep breath of the fall air. “What’d you have in mind?” I ask automatically as Blue lets out hands fall, though instead of releasing my fingers, he laces his through mine.

“I was thinking we could try at being normal,” Blue’s eyes sparkle a little as he names one of my deepest desires. “Have dinner, maybe take a walk after?” He shrugs and glances at the darkening sky. “See where the night takes us?” His eyes return to mine, waiting for confirmation of the tentative plan.

“Okay.” I reply, the word coming out smoothly despite the still erratic beating of my heart. I vaguely wonder if he’s noticed it’s less than normal rhythm. But if he does, Blue doesn’t mention it as he gently pulls on my hand in the direction of the center of town. We walk in a comfortable silence, my skin still alight from his touch and the overly sensitive nature of my nerves, but I’m not freaking out anymore. Eventually, my racing pulse slows to a more manageable beat by the time we get to town.

I glance around the streets as pedestrians roam the lamplit sidewalks and the occasion car passes us by. I’ve never been to one of the restaurants in town, knowing my large appetite is one of the things Hunters normally search for when stalking their victims, so I general don’t eat out. But something tells me things in Kiwina are different. For one thing, in the whole year I’ve been here, I haven’t run into any Hunters and the Azures never seem on edge because of that kind of threat.

“What’re you in the mood for?” Blue asks me after a few moments of what I thought was aimless wandering. I blink, glancing in the direction of Blue’s gaze and noticing that we’re on a foodie’s paradise. Five eateries are stations intermittently along the street - in part of Kiwina I hadn’t explored much of. Thai, Italian, Greek, Mexican, and American restaurants are opened across the street.

“Um…” I hum, taking a second to consider what he’s saying as I sniff the air experimentally. My stomach growls audibly and I catch Blue’s knowing smirk as my eyes linger of the one with the strongest scents that make my mouth water.

“Greek it is.” Blue chuckles, giving my cheek a light peck before gently pulling me back into motion towards the building that is decorated in sparkling whites and deep blues.

“Have you been here before?” I ask as we walk in and take a seat. The small room has maybe ten tables, five of them filled by either families of humans or couples.

“Only for take out.” Blue shrugs, picking up one of the laminated menu cards with five headings, three options under each. I skim the list, my eyes fluttering through the vegetarian options and appetizers and going straight to the main courses including meat. “I recommend the lamb.” He adds as I start to chew on my lip.

“Lamb?” I echo, my eyes flicking up from the menu to lock eyes with the Wolven across the table from me. I blink at him as he looks back with a soft smile. “Okay, I trust you.” I reply, the double meaning clear in my calm voice. Blue’s smile falters a bit before widening. He reaches across the table and takes one of my hands in his. I smile back and feel the rest of my nervousness vacate my body.

“Good evening, welcome.” A middle-aged waiter chooses that moment to come by the table with a fresh loaf of herb-studded stuffed bread, placing the steaming carb tray in the center of the table. “Are you two ready or would you like more time?”

“What do you say, Red? Ready?” Blue asks me softly. I don’t miss the double meaning in his tone as my mate asks me. For once, my fight-or-flight response isn’t triggered, there’s only a resounding certainty that resonates through the bond.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” I nod, my smile softening. Relief floods from Blue’s side of the connection, followed by an added warmth that echoes the one already stirring in my heart. The waiter nods, oblivious to our side conversation, as he pulls a notepad from his apron and a pencil. Blue rattles off an order for lamb with a side of some sort of soup I can’t pronounce. When he’s done, the human waiter turns to me and I give him my order of the lamb - a dinner special that already comes with side.

“So,” Blue says once the man’s shuffled off to the kitchen to give our ticket to the people in the kitchen. “Why don’t we try that normal thing people do on first dates and talk?” He quirks an eyebrow at me and I try to keep my face straight as I blink back at him like the concept is foreign to me. Neither of us can keep our faces stoic for long, however, and break into too-wide grins a few seconds later.

“Okay, let’s talk.” I chuckle, reaching out to the sliced loaf and popping a piece of the richly flavored bread into my mouth. I hum in approval and pretty much finish off two more slices before Blue can even open his mouth to speak. While we wait for our food, we play a variation of the ‘twenty questions’, and I find out a few things about my mate I hadn’t known before. We trade a few stories about previous hunting experiences, best memories, and other more mundane things I’d never thought to ask him before.