Fear and Blood

Chapter 13

 Chapter 13

“No,” Ly said bluntly, feeling like he had just stabbed himself in the stomach. He cringed inwardly as he saw the look of disappointment and hurt on her face and hated himself for being the cause. “I'm sorry.”

“Oh,” Rome said softly, blushing harder and looking like she could burst into tears at any moment. “No, that's all right. It was stupid of me to ask. I mean I knew you didn't want to go and I...” She trailed off, a single tear falling from her large emerald eyes.

Ly could have kicked himself. He really hated what he had done to her, and he felt he owed her an explanation, he just couldn't think of how to start without saying, “the reason I can't go with you is because I'm a vampire and you're a human.” It made no sense that she would ask him anyway, not after the way he had acted towards her.

“I'm sorry,” he said again and Rome was surprised to find that he really did sound it. She looked up at him slowly to see him struggle with what he was about to say next. “It's not that I don't want to go with you, well I don't want to go, but that's not...Shit. There are two reason's I can't go. The first is that I'm not very well received at social events and to get up and accept an award, more than one, in front of those ignorant, brainless...people is really embarrassing when you know they hate you as much as you hate them.”

Ly hesitated slightly before continuing. “The second reason is...well I don't have to tell you that I don't have a very good reputation, so it's probably better if we're not seen together in social situations. You've already seen what happens when you're around me and it will only get worse.”

Rome frowned, wiping her eyes on a napkin. “I don't care about that stuff,” she said, so softly Ly had to lean forward to hear her. “If I did, do you think I would still be sitting here with you?”

Ly growled in frustration and turned away. “I know you don't care about my reputation,” he said stiffly. “But as much as you don't want to believe it, being seen with me voluntarily, will hurt you. You've seen what people are like now. It won't stop with people just ignoring you, and some of the rumours they spread can be pretty vicious. I...I just don't want that to happen to you.”

Rome still felt pretty terrible, but she actually believed that he thought he was doing her a favour by refusing to go to the formal with her. “Fine,” she said, a weak smile touching her full lips. “But I won't go with anyone but you.”

Ly was so shocked he couldn't keep his usual bored expression. “Then you'll go alone,” he said, trying not to sound so harsh. When did Rome become so bold? He asked himself as he studied the smile that still touched her lips.

“That's all right,” she blushed even harder, which Ly didn't think was possible. “There's no-one else I want to take.”

“Why?” he asked slowly, meeting Rome's emerald gaze. “Why do you only want to go with me? I've never been anything but cold towards you, I scared you, I hurt your friend. I don't understand why you asked me.”

The young woman bit her bottom lip and looked away. “Because you told me to live for myself and I took that to mean 'do what I want rather than what people tell me'. Well, we're friends and I don't see why we shouldn't do things together.”

Ly nodded slowly, thinking that he understood her true reason for inviting him to the formal. He tried not to let the growing disappointment show on his face. “So you asked me to go because you wanted to show everyone else that you were no longer doing what they told you to do. Going with me is a form of rebellion.”

“No,” Rome said angrily. “I asked you to go because I wanted to go with you, not because everyone else didn't want me to. Is it so hard for you to believe that I actually want to spend time with you?”