Heal Me

“You are so beautiful with that flower crown. Even your beauty makes me unable to blink for a second, even though it feels like those eyeballs are almost dry because they are not moist,” said Theophile after placing the flower crown he made himself on top of her hair, silver-blonde.





“Are you making fun of me?” asked Lavelle, grinning, “It’s obvious that this flower is so beautiful, not me.”





Theophile held Lavelle’s hand, which was about to tug at his artificial flower crown. “You’re beautiful, no matter what wounds you have on your body… you’re beautiful, and that’s something you should be aware of.”





“You love to talk nonsense, not much different from Mark and Shotaro,” Lavelle grumbled without seeing Theophile’s eyes even though they were now so close they could smell each other’s scent.  





“I’m not lying, I’m telling you what I see in you, and one more thing that is so important is ... my late Mom once said that beauty is not just about appearance,” said Theophile.





“How can I believe those words if you are the most talkative person?” Lavelle asked then.





Theophile took a deep breath. “Try to look into my eyes and tell me. Is there a lie about love that I’m telling?”




Instead of seeing Theophile’s eyes, which were now really close to hers, Lavelle turned her gaze to the other side of the dock, her bare feet playing in the lake water without stopping — even though she looked very calm and cold. Theophile took a deep breath as if he knew Lavelle’s worries when she saw his eyes. 

“I also often feel annoyed with myself when I see my reflection in the mirror, especially when I look into my eyes. It feels like a monster will eat me if I stare at my reflection in the mirror for too long,” Theophile said with a bit of a heavy heart.





“To me, your two eyes are beautiful eyes. And there seems to be another universe in there, and I like it. But, sometimes, I also feel a little hesitant to stare at them any longer because the two of us are nothing in each other’s lives.”




Theophile was taken aback, hearing Lavelle’s voice, which seemed to be keeping a secret. Even so, Theophile felt his heart warm a little when Lavelle complimented him. There was an extraordinary and pinching feeling in his chest when she praised him. “But why are you afraid to look into my eyes? Are you afraid because I am a vampire?”




“Because I’m afraid you know everything,” Lavelle replied, “There are many dark stories in my life, and you don’t need to know them.”





“Is that why you are so afraid to touch me and always sing boring songs that I almost memorize the lyrics to?” Theophile widened his pupils and turned to Lavelle. 





“You guessed it yourself, didn’t you? I can’t tell this directly to people, not even Daniela, Mark, or Shotaro. There is a concern that makes me so afraid to talk because it has been a long time since that trust has left me,” Lavelle replied.




Theophile took a deep breath, then took Lavelle’s hands slowly and kissed them both. For no apparent reason, he opened the sleeve of the sweater Lavelle was wearing to her elbow and saw a long scar from the tip of her wrist to Lavelle’s elbow. Theophile’s eyes didn’t stop bulging when he saw the scar, but Theophile did look very hurt when he saw it. 





“It seems a wound so deep that your sense of trust in your surroundings disappears and can never be returned,” Theophile said.





“That’s true,” Lavelle added as she pulled her hand away from Theophile, feeling extremely uncomfortable.





The gusts of wind that approached them made the atmosphere between them even more awkward. The two of them had been sitting there for almost half a day and looking at the lake, but neither of them wanted to go home. Lavelle just sat there, watching the gentle flow of the lake water produced by the splash of the fish in there, her mind flying far away from nowhere.





Meanwhile, Theophile remained silent and tried to find the best question to ask the silver-haired girl in order to relieve the awkwardness between them.





“Umh… speaking of songs… what’s your favorite song?” asked Theophile then.





“I don’t know, maybe O de to joy, or pop songs that are currently trending,” said Lavelle.





“Isn’t there anything more specific? For example, Jacques Brel or Kassav’ they have extraordinary interpretations in the world of entertainment,” said Theophile.





“Who are they?” asked Lavelle with one eyebrow raised.





“They are musicians from France. Maybe they have been working since the 1990s,” replied Theophile.





“I wasn’t even born yet,” Lavelle lamented later, “But, lately, I prefer Spanish and Bollywood music. They have their own characteristics in each of their works. It makes their work so colorful and cheerful.”





“You really need music that can lift your mood like that, and what is your favorite sport?” Theophile glanced at Lavelle once more.





“Um… is it important to ask?” asked Lavelle then.





Theophile nodded. “I think so, because if you want, I can make a special room for you to do it again here.”





“I like Taekwondo,” replied Lavelle.





Theophile glared. "Taekwondo?"





“Well, does that sound weird?” asked Lavelle then.





“Yeah, I don’t think a girl like you likes such a wasteful sport. I was so surprised,” Theophile replied.





Lavelle sighed once again, trying to pull her leg, which was so cramped from not being moved for a long time. “It’s like, I took the extracurricular because I needed a reason to do something related to hurting myself. No one will know. I was hurt because something came from them.”





“Um… you mean you used that opportunity as an excuse?” repeated Theophile.





“More or less so, because I have no other reason that can be accepted clearly,” said Lavelle later.





Theophile took a deep breath, then grabbed Lavelle’s hand one more time and immediately bit it down to splatter drops of blood everywhere.





“What are you doing!” Lavelle screamed hysterically and tried to pull her arm away.




“This scar will not go away because this is your past,” Theophile answered.




Lavelle screamed and even shed tears when she saw fresh blood also coming out of the fresh wound made by Theophile. Enduring the pain, Lavelle bit her lower lip, struggled a little, and sobbed. “Shh... What are you thinking, stupid? You hurt me.”




Once again, Theophile bit his tongue and licked Lavelle’s scar until she heard some strange licking sounds. Lavelle was stunned and then widened her eyes when she saw the scar on her arm slowly fading, returning to how it was before. All that remained was a long scar from the accident.




“You can’t get rid of the dark past that always haunts you. But, I can remove a new wound from your life... and maybe it will never have a scar... would you believe it?” Theophile kissed Lavelle’s arm before completely letting go, allowing Lavelle to continue unmoved in her confusion.




“I’m speaking seriously, don’t think I’m bragging anymore.”




+++




Lavelle returned to her room, threw her tiny body on the bed, and closed her eyes for a long time. The image of Theophile kissing her a few hours ago when she almost slipped from Napoleon’s body always bothered her as a bad sign that her heart couldn’t lie that she was attracted to Theophile. It was very soft and lightning-fast. Lavelle cursed herself in her heart for the accident that accidentally happened. She was unstable after Theophile had tended to her wound, one that would probably always thrill her to the point of flying high in the seventh heaven.




“Oh my... how could I possibly mess this up?” she groaned wildly.




“What’s wrong with you? You look a little weird after you came home from a date with Theophile.” Daniela, who suddenly entered the room, made Lavelle even more confused. Even her face turned blushing like a ripe peach.




“Um... nothing special.” Lavelle dodged and rolled over so Daniela couldn’t see her blushing face.




“What the hell happened? I know your cheeks are blushing, and it must be because there’s something going on between the two of you,” Daniela muttered nonchalantly.




“You don’t need to know that because it’s not pleasant to hear,” replied Lavelle.




“You mean you did something adults usually do with Theophile?” guessed Daniela, rolling her eyes.




Lavelle was surprised and reflexively threw a pillow at Daniela’s shoulder. Lavelle didn’t expect that her best friend had thoughts that were too far-fetched to say. Maybe even too much to think like that about someone she had just met. Daniela just laughed mockingly. Then approached Lavelle, who was confused and uncertain.




“Hey... why are you acting like that if you don’t do something special with Theophile?” Daniela complained and pretended to feel pain in her shoulder.




“Actually... I accidentally kissed him.” Lavelle bit her lower lip. “But that’s not what pisses me off.”




Daniela was surprised, then she immediately approached Lavelle and whispered, “How does it feel?”




“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”




“Oh my gosh! Why are you so stupid? I’m discussing what it’s like to kiss a vampire leader? Is it thrilling? Is it like in the movies?” asked Daniela in a whisper.




“I don’t know, and I’m screwed because he went too deep and stabbed something into my heart. I don’t know... I’m so confused right now.”




“Did he enter your body?” asked Daniela innocently.




“Don’t ask crazy questions like that, Daniela. I’m dizzy thinking about this. Theophile never seems to let us go because he’s so serious,” Lavelle said.




“What do you mean?”




“He injured me and healed the wound quickly,” Lavelle replied while glancing at her arm, which left no trace of injury.




Daniela saw it too, though it looked more like a fool who was tricked by her best friend. “Are you kidding?”




“I’m serious, the wound is right here, and it heals in seconds with Theophile’s blood. Theophile cuts his tongue, and he treats me by licking it...”




“That means Theophile wants to take you to happiness. To such a beautiful place unscathed. Even so, think twice about having a relationship with Theophile. You can hate Martian but you can’t hate your Mom, right? Your Mom must have been very sad when she realized that you loved vampires.”




“But, can I have a sweeter love story with a person who won’t leave me because he is an immortal?”





“Lavelle, I can’t come up with a solution for this,” Daniela snorted. “However, if later your Mom does not approve of you, I am ready to persuade your mother and sister.”





“I’m terrified that this is just my wishful thinking.”