My Vampire Bromance

Chapter 39: Bros?

The night was awkward. I never imagined that I'd be sitting side by side with Thomas Langerty, the weird guy who hit on Jenna in science class, the oddball who asked me on a date, and the mass murderer on campus who killed not only Brinley but so many other girls. I shifted on the couch as I watched actors talk on the screen. Thomas had picked out a Christmas special to watch on television, not precisely what I thought he would have... and while I expected him to make a move on me well before now, Thomas was eerily silent. His hands were too much to himself. I guess he was being honest when he said he was no longer going to come on to me. But it was obvious that what he promised and what he actually wanted to do were very completely different.

"The show's not too bad," he remarked, leaning his head back against the couch. A bottle of wine sat in front of him. I'd long lost count of how many glasses he had downed, yet he wasn't drunk. I'd seen what Thomas looked like drunk, and this wasn't it. I bet my life that something else was in that bottle.

"Not bad at all," I said. "Though I wonder why you chose this to watch together. You don't seem the type."

"The type for what?" Thomas's eyes bored into mine.

"Sappy holiday romance movies." I shifted again, putting my hands between my legs. His gaze had traveled farther down than I would have liked.

"Oh, well," he glanced back up at my face, "I find them entertaining to some degree. But I don't know what else we would watch. I only have basic television. I haven't quite figured out those streaming services everyone at school keeps talking about."

"Save your money," I said. "They're not that great anyway. They only really allow you to relate to people on a basic level. I don't have them either. I stopped all our streaming subscriptions after my parents died. To make things more affordable, you know?"

"I can understand that," Thomas said. And while he tried to relate to me, it was incredibly hard to bite my tongue– not to reveal that I already knew he was the reason I no longer had parents. "I'm sorry, by the way," Thomas said. "That you have to live a life without them. I know that pain all too well."

"You do?" I lifted my brows, hardly believing that Thomas barely knew anything about the pain of losing parents.

"Yeah," he leaned back, eyes trailing the contours of my face, his expression telling me more than I wanted to know. "When I was..." Thomas paused, thinking before he revealed too much. "Well, it wasn't that long ago that I lost them. It just feels like it is." His blue eyes locked with mine. His hand twitched on his leg as if he wanted to hold my hand but knew better. "Well...um...my parents were murdered...my best friend too. I was the only one who survived, and..." his voice trailed off. Thomas clutched the fabric of his blue jeans beneath his fingers. "Well, it's hard to explain. I...uh...I didn't have time to grieve. The woman..."

"The woman?" I questioned, leaning closer to Thomas while he struggled to get his words out.

Thomas nodded, "It was a woman who murdered my parents...my best friend. He looked like you actually. A lot like you. I miss him dearly. I miss them all but..." Again, he trailed off, eyes glassing over, mouth twitching. His face became pale. "I'm going to get some more wine." I watched as he stood and left. "I'll be back, okay? I just need a drink. This is hard to talk about."

I nodded, watching him leave. I'd been here for hours now and had yet to see any hint that Thomas was an actual danger to me. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to see if anyone had texted me. No one. I looked out the living room window to see Victor playing in Thomas's front yard. At a time like this, I didn't know how Victor could busy himself with something other than watching me. Then again, he was a vampire, and his hearing was fantastic. He'd be here in a flash if something were to go wrong.

"You alright?" Thomas spoke from the living room entrance, a new bottle of red wine in his hand.

"Yeah," I said softly, "I'm fine."

Thomas nodded, plopping down beside me. I watched as he poured the thin liquid into a new wine glass. What he had before was definitely not wine. "You okay?" I asked. "You've had a lot to drink tonight."

"I'm fine," Thomas said flatly, "Holidays are hard. You understand. Thanks for spending time with me." He took a large swig of wine, then leaned back, sighing. I waited for him to tell me the rest of the story about how his friend and parents were murdered, but he didn't. Instead, Thomas stared lazily at the television screen in front of him, drinking silently while I began to wonder when the movie would end so I could go home.

We sat in silence for a long time, the tv screen beaming with color. Then, finally, I yawned and looked at my phone screen. It was well past midnight, and Thomas had downed two more bottles of wine. I counted four in total tonight. Two were most likely filled with blood he had drunk to steer clear of me becoming his food, while the other two? He rolled his head over to gaze at me. "Movie is done. It wasn't too bad. You want to head out soon?"

"Probably," I replied. Even though I could hear Victor whispering through my mind to stay. Stay and ask what happened to his family. "You uh, good if I go or?"

"Or what?" Thomas asked, genuinely curious. "You wanna make out?"

My stomach flipped.

"I'm joking, Phillip. Well...mostly...I'm going to stick to my promise. I won't try to get in your pants unless you want me to." I stared at him blankly. "Do you want me to?" His dark blue eyes traveled my own. Finally, he blinked, "You're not saying anything."

I scratched my head, "I don't know if there is anything to say other than thank you for the picture frames and for having me over for dinner tonight. It was thoughtful of you, but Thomas..." I let out a long sigh, "I really can't see this going anywhere. I..."

"I get it," Thomas said. "I screwed up with you a long time ago." He shook his head, sucked his lower lip, and then met my eyes again. His irises glinted gold in the dim living room light. His teeth bright and white as he attempted to smile. "I guess I'll take your friendship. Bros?" He gave me an awkward hand.

I grimaced. How could I keep letting Thomas into my life? Today had gone too far. I just meant to receive the gift from him and go. Now I was in his house thanks to the little vampire cat that played outside. No matter how much I loved Victor, toying with someone else's emotions was crossing a line. Even if they were supposedly a monster.

But the boy sitting beside me, looking at me longingly? The more time I spent with him, the less he seemed evil. Thomas was just lost. Incredibly lost and lonely and wanting for love. He knew he had messed up, that I would never accept him, and yet here he was trying to make things right.

No matter how much I wanted to hate him for what he'd done all those years ago, I couldn't. Thomas was a vampire. It was in his nature to kill. How was he supposed to know that the people he feasted on that night were my parents? He couldn't have. That's what made the whole thing so tragic. I sucked in a large breath. "Sure, just..." I wanted to tell him not to kiss me again but said instead, "Let's see where it goes, okay?"

Thomas's face fell. Half hurt, half hopeful, he stared at me, "Okay."

"I'm uh, I'm gonna go now. Thanks for tonight," I said, standing.

"Let me walk you to your car," he said, standing beside me. It felt weird leaving Thomas's house. But it had to be done. I had to go home and speak to Victor. I couldn't toy with Thomas anymore.