My eyes wandered at the people around me and I held in another breath, turning around to face Emily, who was now giving me her usual sympathetic look.
“Don’t.”
“No, I will. It’s already been three weeks Adriana! You’re telling him tonight.”
“Tell him what? That I want to leave and hear him beg me to stay again? He’s never going to let me leave Emily, why can’t you see that already? I’ve tried.” I moved aside to give space to a couple who raised their glasses at me before leaving with a smile still plastered on their faces.
“So you’re going to keep staying here? In this hole full of undeniably handsome men, who are, by the way, complete and utter jerks-”
“Emily…” I mumbled, eyeing the Ardelean brothers, who were now standing right behind her, god knows how long they’ve been there. 
“No, I’m serious. It’s all about looks for them, isn’t it? They think they’re the real shit just because god blessed them with the looks? And to be honest, that highschool kid, Will, I dated? Even he had a better face than most of these overrated vampires-” She held up a hand when I opened my mouth to speak and I stopped in embarrassment. Maybe it’s just best friend instincts but Emily seemed to read my expressions and I watched her mouth slightly hung open before they closed right back, a slight shade of pink creeping on her cheeks.
“Do enlighten us.” Alaric grinned as Emily turned around and I watched her stop for a minute before frowning at them all.
“No thanks, I’m already hurt,” Finn gave us his “fake” disappointed look. “Right here.” He poked his chest and Emily scoffed before turning to face me.
“Let’s leave. Don’t talk to them.” She pushed the same orders for the millionth time tonight and I sighed with a small nod.
“Really, Emily? You’re still going to make her shut up? It won’t kill her to talk to us, you know?”
“Oh, but it can,” she protested, turning to glare at Edward, who groaned in annoyance.
“Don’t start, Emily, I swear if you repeat that speech one more time-”
“As long as she’s staying here? She ain’t going to talk to none of you.” Emily raised her voice and from the corner of my eyes, I could see Kevin mouthing the exact same words along with her before rolling his eyes in annoyance.
“Keep rolling your eyes, maybe you’ll find a brain back there, Kevin.” I barely muttered under my breath and I could hear the boys cooing and going nuts over my epic “insult”. I almost forgot that vampires were able to hear, well, almost anything from a mile away. How very useful.
“You guys are so immature.”
“Why are you both wearing such casual clothes anyways? It’s an important annual event, not one of your girly slumber parties” Edward addressed our causal outfits, jeans and crop tops and both Emily and I let out a huff in frustration.
“You’re the one to talk!” I snapped at Edward, eyeing his plain blue jeans and grey shirt, totally not fit for a party but obviously it was okay for them to wear anything they pleased.
“That’s true, you look like shit.” Raymond mumbled, leaning closer to Edward’s ears in a cautious manner.
“Fuck off dickhead.” Edward roughly pushed him away and I held back a chuckle.
“Boys, what’s going on here?” Lianna popped out of nowhere and I watched her give me a fake smile before snapping her head towards the boys. “Where’s Draven?”
“He’ll be here soon.” My heart ached at the mention of his name. It’s been nearly three weeks since I’ve last had a decent conversation with him. I’d always ignore him or completely shut him out when he attempts to talk to me, and I guess as time flew by, he stopped trying too. Mostly because he would always be too busy with “work” and taking care of “things”. I guess it’s for the best. I was finally healing, slowly moving on from my feelings and I certainly do not want to give him the chance to tear open that wound again.
“He’s always busy these day,” Lianna mumbled and from the corner of my eyes, I could see her glancing at me. “And Adriana, please try to loosen up a bit?” I snapped my head towards her harsh words and narrowed my eyes at her hard expression.
“Whatever do you mean, princess?” Emily cocked her head to a side, taking the words right out of my mouth and it’s at times like these, that I truly appreciate her as my friend.
“I am not trying to fight, alright? It’s just that she’s been giving him a hard time and I think that it’s in both our interests that he stopped pushing himself so hard to find Dexter.” Lianna countered, plastering on a smile and I mentally scoffed at her words.
“I never told him to find Dexter. That has nothing to do with me-”
“It has everything to do with you and you know it!” she suddenly snapped and I heard the boys hiss at her to keep quiet, waving their hands at the passing people in the process.
“Don’t be so loud, this is not just a normal event alright? It’s-”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I challenged, cutting off Kevin and taking a step forward towards Lianna, who didn’t back away either, instead she scowled in distaste.
“It means that you keep playing with his feelings, confusing him and leading him on,” my mouth gaped at her words. “He’s having a hard time dealing with this and you have the nerve to ignore him? The only reason why he’s going out to find Dexter is because he thinks you are in danger, which you might be, who knows-”
“What’s your point, Lianna?!” I started to lose it, my whole body itching to punch her right in the throat. She thinks I am the one playing him and confusing him?
“My point is that you are what’s holding him back and the reason why he is in danger. You are the reason that he is out all the time, day and night, not having to spend a single time with me!” she suddenly roared at the end and this was the first time I was seeing her like this.
“So this is about you then, hunh?” I watched her bite the inside of her cheeks and I swallowed the lump in my throat as well. “And for your information, it’s Draven who is holding me back-”
“Geez, fucking stop it you guys! We are in the middle of a fucking party and I swear, if you both don’t shut up right now, I’ll make sure I do it for you.” Finn threatened, sending me a deadly glare and I was about to burst out in anger when a hand grabbed my mouth from behind, pulling me back. I stumbled back and turned around, ready to push whoever was now wrapping an arm around my shoulders oh-so-casually but stopped when I saw Vincent, smiling and nodding as we passed by a bunch of people.
“Let me go, I’m fine!” I brushed his hands away roughly and attempted to walk away but Vincent being Vincent, obviously had to be the hero who stops me from turning into a raging bull.
“Hey, relax.” He stepped in front of me, holding both my upper arms and squeezing them gently, causing me to let out another huff.
“She is just so infuriating and stupid and ignorant and-” I involuntarily let out a squeal in frustration, my teeth still gritted in annoyance. God, I just hate everything about her.
“Damn.” I heard Vincent chuckle a bit, his eyes still widened a little in shock before he pinched the bridge of his nose, slightly blushing and shaking his head as more people stared at us.
“Can you get me a glass of water?” I asked out of the blue, glancing back to see Emily arguing with the boy’s right next to Lianna. I didn’t care at this point, all I wanted was to let out my frustrations somehow, anyhow.
“Sure, wait here okay?” he said and I watched him leave before turning around and walking towards the main door. I followed behind a bunch of people and mentally high fived myself for using this opportunity tonight. After all, the main gate is always opened for guests on these kind of annual events between the vampires and humans so it would obviously be easier to sneak out.
“Great, just great.” I muttered under my breath in frustration, staring at the heavy rain pouring in front of me. Of all the nights to rain.
“You’re the one who’s holding him back.” Lianna’s words rang through my mind and I tried to calm myself down but nothing was helping anymore. With a grunt, I started walking and before I could even pass through the gate, I was already soaking wet, strands of my hair already sticking to my face, making me groan in annoyance but I kept moving. I didn’t know where I was going or for how long I could keep walking like this but I didn’t care. I just wanted to go for a walk, even if it meant for a few minutes. I gasped when thunder started bellowing across the sky, causing the rain to pour down on me even harder and I let out an uncontrollable sob, hugging myself as tightly as I could.
“I am holding him back? Using him? Playing him? Who the fuck do you think you are?!” I yelled, my tears blurring my vision as I kept walking. “What do you know…?” I asked out to practically no one and by now, I was too weak to even shout or yell. “You’re just some stupid, ugly girl who-” my lame insults came to an abrupt stop along with my movements as a car stopped right next to the pavement I was walking on and I watched the window slide down to reveal Draven’s face, causing my heart to race faster than ever.
“Get in.” he spoke softly and I stood up straight, mentally scoffing to myself before hugging myself tighter, ready to start walking again when he spoke. “Adriana, I’m serious, get in the car.” He had a more demanding tone and I quickly replied with a sharp “no” before hurrying my pace. I could hear him yell something along the lines, “I’m not playing with you right now, doll face, get in the car or-“ but I couldn’t care less. It wasn’t long before two large pair of hands held my shoulders and turned me around, attempting to drag me towards the car again but I wasn’t going to take it tonight. 
“Let go-”
“You’re going to catch a cold, get inside.” He turned to face me as I brushed away his hand and I gave him a hard look.
“Then so be it.” I said bitterly, hugging myself only tighter, trying to stop my body from shaking any further.
“Adrianna,” my heart almost melted at his voice but I didn’t show it, instead I put on a blank expression and stared up to meet his blue eyes, plead and guilt suddenly filling inside them but I couldn’t let that get to me either. “Can you please get in the car?” he asked softly and let me tell you, this boy got magic tricks up his sleeves because there is no way that he can just make both my heart and mind go crazy with just some simple words. I noticed that he too was now getting soaked and as soon as he opened the door for me, I stepped inside, knowing that I’d be blamed if he walked back home all wet and cold. The door shut gently after Draven stepped in and I didn’t even bother to send him a glance as we drove off. I could feel his intense staring as we kept driving and after a few minutes, I just turned away to face the window, trying to concentrate on the sound of heavy rain and silence that clouded our atmosphere.
“Adriana?” Draven called and my breath hitched at his voice. So much for peace and silence. “You’re going to ignore me again?” I responded with silence and I heard him let out a huff but I didn’t even bother to look at him. I didn’t want to. It’s already been more than three weeks since we last had a decent conversation and I plan to keep it that way.
“Adriana? Can you at least give me a chance to talk?” I ignored him yet again and gasped when the car suddenly turned to a corner before coming to an abrupt stop.
“What the hell, Draven?!” I turned to glare at him but stopped when I realized that he was now leaning closer to my seat now, his fingers already holding a gentle but firm grip on my chin. My heart almost dropped as I stared into his deep, mysterious blue eyes and I watched something flicker inside them before he flicked his tongue to lick his lips, causing the butterflies in my stomach to go on a rampage. Oh, how I wanted those lips on mine.
“Say something,” his voice was now hoarse, carrying a pleading tone and I almost melted in my seat. “I miss your voice.” He mumbled out and I froze when I felt his thumb caressing my bottom lip gently, causing goosebumps to rise all over my body. This familiar feeling of warmth and comfort, I couldn’t take it. In a swift motion, I brushed his hands away and pressed myself against my seat, trying my best to even my heartbeats.
“Take me back.” I said softly yet harshly and from the corner of my eyes, I could see Draven pull back before nodding slowly, the disappointed look on his face not fading away for even a second. This is exactly what I didn’t want to see. I don’t want to see this side of him. I don’t want to feel like I’m the only one who’s making him feel this way. It would only get my hopes up and I don’t want to go through that phase again. Luckily, we drove off in silence and Draven didn’t utter a word later, thank the lord for that. I could use some alone time to think and get my shit together already. I had to.
x-x
I coughed for the hundredth time and let out a groan before tossing off the sheets, my eyes darting around in search of Emily but she was nowhere to be seen now. Letting out another groan, I fought back the painful headache and sat up straight to grab the nearest bottle of water. Before I could grab it, someone switched on the lights and I sighed, expecting it to be Emily but my eyes widened when I saw Draven leaning against the door, his eyebrows shooting up in the most obvious manner.
“I told you.”
“Don’t start, I’m fine. Just need to drink water and go to sleep.” I grumbled impatiently and reached out to grab the water bottle from the nearest table.
“You’re not fine. I could hear you coughing-”
“I’m sorry I ruined your sleep. I already took my medicine, I’ll be fine, thanks.” I cut him off and stopped reaching out towards the table when Draven appeared in front of me, grabbing the water bottle and handing it over to me.
“You didn’t ruin my sleep.” He said shortly and I sipped down some water before giving him a look, trying to ignore his hard abs that were now staring directly at me, calling out to me, haunting me and-
“God, stop it, Adriana!” I was meant to say those words silently but somehow blabbered them out instead, causing Draven to look at me in confusion.
“Stop what?”
“Nothing, good night now.” I flushed and quickly regained my posture when he shook his head. I opened my mouth to say something but froze when he suddenly reached out to touch my forehead, his palms covering my whole forehead and I just sat there stiffened for a few minutes before brushing his hands away, my pulse racing at his touch. I hated feeling this way. I don’t want to but I keep wanting to at the same time, why am I like this?!
“You’re having a bad fever, doll face. I’m not letting you go to sleep like that.” He raised his voice, his eyebrows slightly furrowing together before he sat down next to me and I crawled back away from him. My eyes widened when he suddenly brought his wrists closer to his mouth, his sharp fangs sinking right into his skin, making my whole body shiver in displeasure.
“No-no!” I snapped, shaking my head repeatedly and I watched Draven stop to frown at me, slightly gulping down his own blood, which he was probably going to make me drink. “I do-don’t want you to kiss me.” I said finally, inhaling deeply as his confused expression got replaced with a more serious gesture.
“I either pour it down your throat or you drink straight from my wrist, doll face, have it as you please.” His tone grew more deep and cold and I gulped softly before turning away, my mind going blank for a few seconds.
“Guess I’ll have it my way then.” I heard him state before an arm wrapped around my waist, yanking me closer and I shook my head, grabbing his hand before he could drink from it. He stopped to look down at me and I went silent as I brought his wrist closer, my fingers trailing the veins on his arms. God, I was getting obsessed with every part of him again and that was not good. I could feel his body tense up under my touch but I didn’t make it a big deal. Instead I took a deep breath and gave him a pleading look, to which Draven responded with a hard look on his face. He cocked an eyebrow at his wrist, motioning me to hurry up and I let out a sigh in defeat, knowing that he would do it his "own" way if I didn’t co-operate right now. After making the last face in disgust, I licked off a drop of blood and scrunched up when the bitter taste filled my mouth.
“You have to drink more than that.”
“I can’t do it, it’s gross!”
“Well, I’m not really giving you a choice right now, am I, doll face?” Draven shot right back and his sudden outburst made me jump a little before I looked at him with wide eyes, tears slightly glistening inside them but I quickly lowered my eyelashes to hide my frightened expression.
“I’m sorry alright? But I am tired as fuck right now, Adriana and I can’t bear to see you sick like this so please just-” before he could finish his half assed apology, I started sucking on his wrist, ignoring his fast pulse that was now racing under my fingers. I mentally gagged as I kept drinking, closing my eyes shut the entire time and finally pulled away with a cough, my mind growing a bit dizzy.
“Happy now? Go, thanks for your help.” I said softly and was about to turn away when he grabbed my wrist, holding me in place. I was about to say something rude to brush him away but my breath hitched when he leaned his face closer to mine, my eyes already getting captivated inside his. For the new few seconds, we just stared at each other, our breaths only getting heavier with each passing second. It all happened so fast, yet so clearly. At first, his eyes held no emotions but slowly, the guilt and plead started filling in slowly, along with an unreadable expression on his face that made my heart melt. It was frustrating because I wanted to know what was going on in his mind but he was never good with words. But then again, he was never good with emotions either so could you blame me?
I froze when his eyes flickered onto my lips and before I could react, he started leaning closer, making my whole body stiffen immediately. I wanted to move but I couldn’t. I flinched when he licked the corner of my lips and then slowly pull away, his eyes instantly drawing mine inside them again. I hate the fact that he was able to have this effect on me.
“Can you not do that?” I asked, my voice barely audible and I watched him lean closer as I inched away.
“Do what?”
“Do that. Licking, kissing, touching me. I don’t like it anymore…” I lied, giving him a disappointed look and at this point, Draven’s expression became unreadable but I didn’t bother to figure it out. Instead, I turned away and Draven stood up from his position, ready to leave when the door opened to reveal Vincent weary face. His hair was a mess and his eyes looked crazy, not to mention his worn out clothes.
“Are you for real?!” he snapped at me, suddenly plopping down right next to me on the bed and before I could even realize what was going on, I was pulled into a tight hug, causing goosebumps to rise all over my body.
“Wha-”
“You fucking scared me to death! I looked everywhere for you, where the hell were you?” he pulled away and I opened my mouth to say something but shut it right back, the guilt suddenly kicking in. Vincent was and always have been a sweet guy and I was always giving him a hard time with my stubbornness and mood swings. Tonight was definitely one of those night.
“I took her in.” I could hear Draven say sharply and Vincent glanced at him and then back at me before sighing in relief, a wave of emotions filling his eyes.
“So-sorry, I really am. I just-” I stopped and gave him an apologetic look. Vincent only gave me a dead stare before a small smile crept up on his face as he leaned closer to kiss the side of my forehead. My mouth dropped open and I could feel the intense staring as Draven stood there emotionless, watching us the entire time. This was sending a bad message, obviously.
“It’s alright, just glad you’re fine.” He said shortly, standing up straight and I watched Draven take a huge step forward but come to a sudden halt when he saw the desperation and panic in my eyes. I watched his eyes turn a shade darker, his jawlines locked as he turned away and I couldn’t help but feel somewhat guilty. Vincent left after giving me a few more lectures and advices, almost making me yawn and not feel bad for him again. It’s like talking to a younger and better looking version of your dad. As soon as the door shut behind me, I glanced at Draven, who was now leaning against the wall, his hands folded across his chest as he burned holes through my face the entire time.
“Stop staring at me. Good night.” I mumbled out before burying myself inside the blankets, hoping he would leave but to my disappointment, Draven stood still with a blank expression plastered on his face.
“Draven, can you please leave? You are being creepy as fuck.” I muttered, but I couldn’t ignore the disturbing feelings growing inside of me. Of course he was upset and I know why too. I guess it could be because I took comfort from Vincent and not him? We all know that Draven doesn’t like to share his “toys”.
“Seriously? You’re just going to stand there?” I tried to conceal the guilt in my voice but it was getting hard to just ignore it so I tossed the blanket and walked right up to him, my eyes narrowing at him as he stared down at me with no emotion.
“Hello? Earth calling to Draven?” I cautiously waved my hand across his face and gasped when he caught my wrist in a swift motion, yanking them roughly before straightening his posture. I cringed a little as the tall figure towered over me and tried to jerk my hand away but held a fine grip this time, making my heart race faster.
“Don’t ever fucking do that again.” He spoke each word painfully slow and I frowned at him.
“Do what?” I watched his jawline muscle flicker before he turned away, releasing his grip in the process. Before I could say anything, he walked right up to the bed, plopping on it casually. I glared at him in a warning manner but he didn’t even bother to look at me anymore. Instead, he turned around, slumping the blanket over his chest and closed his eyes ignorantly, making my blood boil.
“Really Draven? You want to act childish?”
“Now’s not the right time to fuck me up with that attitude, doll face.”
“Stop making it sound like I’m always fucking you up, Draven. It’s the other way around remember?!” I huffed, marching towards the bed and he went silent at my words. I let out another huff and climbed into the other side of the bed, not even bothering to tell him to fuck off. He’s always doing what he wants anyways.
“Do you really hate me that much?”
“Yes.” I replied almost instantly, ignoring the fact that he was carrying a very soft and low tone by now.
“How can I change that?” his words caught me by surprise and for a few seconds I sat still before reaching out to switch off the lights as nothing but the sound of silence and pouring rain filled the room.
“You can’t.” I started turning away but stopped when he turned around to face me. Even in the dark, I could clearly see his blue eyes flickering in desperation but I had to stand my ground.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.” I said sharply and was about to turn around when he grabbed my wrist.
“Doll face, please…” he squeezed my hands a little, as if he was afraid that I would yank them away again. “Don’t make me beg.”
“I never asked you to nor do I want you to. So stop already. And I told you to stop touching me.” I said with a hard expression and I watched his eyes turn a shade darker.
“So it’s okay for Vincent to do whatever he pleases but it’s a crime for me to get a chance to make things up for you?” he raised his voice and I just stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re acting childish Draven. You have no reason to get mad about it unless you are jealous. And I am trying my best to convince myself otherwise because-”
“I am not jealous. I just get fucking pissed when people take away what’s rightfully mine.” I could sense the anger in his tone and instead of arguing with him, I decided to calm him down a little. He was misunderstanding anyways, might as well clear it up.
“Draven, I am not his to claim, alright? We’re just friends and-”
“Yeah right.” I watched him turn around to stare right up at the ceiling, a hand slumping on his forehead and I raised a brow at him. “I see the way you look at him, Adriana…” he turned to face me again and my eyes widened when I realized that his face was only an inch away from mine now. “And I see the way you look at me…” I stared dead into his eyes and at this point, my heart ached for him. Even in the dark, I could see the pain and hurt in his eyes and before I could say anything more, he concealed the hurt with his usual expressionless mask, causing my heart to drop. “It’s just different.”
“I could say the same about you and Lianna.” I finally had the guts to say and I watched him sit up straight before frowning at me in displeasure.
“I am trying my best to keep you and her safe, Adriana. There is nothing going on between us and I have tried to tell you this over a million fucking times but you are too stubborn and ignorant to fucking care or to listen to me!” he suddenly started snapping and I sat up straight as well, tossing the sheets as I glared at him furiously. 
“And what the hell makes you think you deserve one?! You have been nothing but an asshole to me ever since I stepped inside here and to make things worse, you kiss her ass and make me sound at fault for getting upset about it. You keep lashing out at me because you can’t digest the fact that you still have feelings for her, Draven!”
“Why the fuck would I have feelings for her when you’re the only person that’s running through my mind, every fucking day?!” he grabbed my shoulders and my eyes widened at his words, as did his, right after he realized what he had just said. His breathings were already getting heavier and I gulped softly before biting my lip gently, processing in his words.
“Don’t fucking do that right now.” He let out an exasperated sigh, his eyes suddenly landing on my lips and I just stared at him silently before finally mustering up the words I wanted to say.
“So what am I to you, Draven?” he gave me a confused look. “Am I someone you care about? Have feelings for or what?” another sigh escaped through his lips and I held my breath for his answer.
“I don’t know, alright? I’m still trying to figure that out so-”
“Am I just another blood bag?”
“Just stop, alright? I told you, I’m trying to figure this out so just give me a little more time. I just want to finish dealing with Lianna too and it’s fucking annoying as fuck when you both fight over dumb shit and-”
“What’s your point Draven? That I should just take all this and deal with it like a strong little girl? I have been alright? For the past few months, I have been putting up with everything, but this? I can’t deal with her. She’s been rude and acting like a bitch towards me for no reason and-”
“How am I supposed to defend two people I care about, Adriana? I can’t alright? I am trying my best to protect you two and you both fighting each other is not helping.” At this point, I just wanted to slap him but I somehow managed to hold back. This guy keeps trying to do the best thing for everybody and ends up making the whole situation worse than it already is.
“Have it your way then.” I muttered getting up from the bed and walking up to the window. I could hear him say some colorful words to himself as we kept a fair distance apart. The wind greeted me as I opened the window and I glanced back to notice Draven on the floor, leaning his back against the bed with his knees up, both his elbows slumped on them with his head hung between his arms. I guess he was just as exhausted and frustrated as I was.
“I just don’t want to lose you, alright? I want you to stay here and be happy too, Adriana.”
“You’ve already lost me, Draven.” I breathed in the fresh air, blinking away the tears.
“And there is nothing you can do to change that.”

xxx