Two Of A Kind ⍟ Kai Parker

SIX

𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐀

"I thought you hated birthdays," he reminds me.

"I did until my time in 1903. Lily, Malcolm, Nora, Mary Louise, Beau, Oscar, Valerie used to celebrate birthdays. I miss them," I fall in the sea of memories I had with them.

Nora, Valerie, and Lily would bake a cake for me. Mary Louise, Beau, and Oscar would clean the house and decorate it. Malcolm would keep me company, keep me occupied out of the house. When we get home they'd scream out "surprise!" And sing "happy birthday" to me. We'd have dinner together. They'd refuse to drink from me that day. I'd let Malcolm and Nora cheat. Because they are my favorites and I thought of it as a return gift for what they do for me. I'd let others drink too but Lily would get upset. She wanted them to stay in control. She didn't want them to kill me by drinking every drop of blood in my body. Lily loved me as her own daughter. I gave her the respect and love I'd give to my mother. Nora, Mary Louise, Valerie were like my sisters, Beau and Oscar were like my brothers. Oscar and I were like those siblings who always fight for no reason at all. We just don't get along. We have to go opposite sides. What I felt for Malcolm was different from what I felt for the rest of them. Malcolm would put his entire attention on me. I liked his attention, his affection. I liked him. I was attracted to him.

I miss them but mostly him.

I wipe the salty water that pooled in my eyes.

"Anyways I am thinking, we should go on a hike," I say snapping out. Kai's attention is set on the plate he's serving.

"There is no 'we'. It's your birthday. If you want to go on hiking you can go. Don't drag me in it,"

"Oh, don't be such a buzzkill. It'll be fun. What are you going to do here? Sit around? Roam around the empty streets alone? Do it for me...," I insist pouting.

"You should have said 'do it for yourself', maybe then I'd have considered it. Because I love me. You? Not so much,"

"Ugh, cut the crap. We are the same. If you love yourself then you'd love me too," I grin at him.

"Do you love yourself?" He asks.

"I love myself but I also hate myself," I emphasize the 'o' in 'love' and fast-speak the 'I also hate myself' part.

"So, according to your theory, you love-hate me,"

"Correct. Now, it's final you are coming with me,"

"I didn't say yes. Why do you even want me there?" He serves out some more pasta on a plate.

"If Kol could be there for me then you can be too. And it's nice to talk to someone other than myself. My subconscious is a bitch. We are on a break from each other since I came here,"

Shut up already.

"Who's Kol?"

"An original. You know, the very first vampires? He is one of them," I explain. "By the way, where am I sleeping?"

"In your mom's house, where else?"

I rapidly blink at him.

"I am not walking. I feel lazy," I raise my eyebrows and give him doe eyes.

"You are not staying here," amusement plays on his face.