Vampire Lessons (Completed)

Chapter 16 Stronger Tea

Chapter 16 Stronger Tea

I went over the interview again and divided it up into thirds. The first part was the part where I hadn't been paying attention, the second we had all been rapt with interest. The third part Angelov, Amy and I had been out of the room. I wondered what the others had discussed about Mr. Angelov while we had been out of the room so I kept that part and the first third as well. The middle section I put on an SD card for Eric to transcribe. By the time I had finished my task my heart had sped up in anticipation of seeing Eric.

The more nervous I got the worse I felt. I tried to calm down but it didn't make me feel any better. My head had started to hurt. I took a few pain pills and went back to the computer. I was a few more pages into the transcription when I heard the doorbell ring. I practically ran to the front door.

Eric stood at the door. His back was to me and he held his phone to his ear.

"I'll be home in a few minutes. ... No, the car is fine... I had to make a stop to pick something up... None of your business, Kyle. Just tell mom I'll gather the ingredient when I get home... Fifteen minutes." I heard him sigh loudly as he shook his head and looked up at the clouds. "I'm hanging up now." Seconds later he hung up the phone. I could hear Kyle protesting and suddenly he went silent. Eric turned around reaching for the doorbell. His hand dropped as soon as he saw me. "Oh, I didn't realize you already answered the door."

"You seemed preoccupied so I waited till you finished your call." I didn't add that I didn't really want Kyle to know he was here. I didn't even know why I didn't want him to know. I held out my hand. The black SD card sat in the center of my palm.

He took a step closer and I felt my heart thump violently against my rib-cage. I could hear the blood rush through my veins. It had a slight echoing quality to it.

His fingertips brushed my palm as he lifted the SD card. He hesitated. His eyebrows pinched and I saw his lips move, but there was no way I could hear his words over the echoing blood and the beating of our hearts. I was stunned. I could hear his heart too, not just my own. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. He shoved the SD card into a pocket and reached for me.

"Stephanie..." His lips continued to move. His fingers tightened around my arms.

In desperation, I took a deep breath trying to flood my brain with oxygen. His scent flooded over me. What the hell is wrong with me, I wanted to scream. I couldn't even move.

There were so many things happening at once to my body and my mind. My ears concentrated solely on the sound of beating hearts and the sound of blood rushing through veins. My muscles seemed to have locked. My head hurt so badly I felt it in my teeth and gums. My stomach rolled with hunger and my mouth watered. I felt dizzy.

My mind was freaking out. I didn't understand what was going on. I wondered if I was having a brain aneurysm or some kind of heart attack. I could smell Eric. He was so close and he smelled so good. I don't mean he smelled good as in cologne or flowers or freshly mowed grass. I meant he smelled good like a plate of Vegetarian Enchiladas or Louisiana Gumbo. I very seldom ate meat but at the moment he smelled as good as a steak covered in mushroom pepper sauce!

Just thinking about it made my teeth hurt even more as my head pounded.

He pushed me through the door and I stumbled. He kept me from falling. He wrapped an arm around me and led me to the sofa in the living area. I dropped. The sofa caught me and he stepped back. He looked around the room. Searching.

I just blinked. The saliva that had flooded my mouth earlier had vanished leaving an arid desert in its wake. My throat hurt. I needed something to drink. I needed my tea that sat on my dad's desk.