That night had ended on a high note, their pair watching a movie and cuddling together until she started to nod off. Excusing herself, she’d given him a final kiss goodnight and then went to bed.<br/><br/>And the next couple days had been so easy, like nothing really had changed. It was what she’d feared in the aftermath, that things would become complicated, not as free as they’d been before they’d kissed. Instead, she found that their dynamic hadn’t changed all that much. Rather than being friendly and cuddling on occasion, they hugged more, they stole kisses here or there. Where there any labels on anything? No, and Tempest was almost thinking that’s how she wanted to keep it. She liked how they could maintain their free nature, the lack of stress, while still being able to enjoy in each other’s company.<br/><br/>What made her tense up and lose that carefree nature she’d been sporting for the last two days was a text she’d gotten. Tempest had been relaxing, doing nothing of consequence. Resting on the couch with a book, she’d been turning the page about to start another chapter when the buzzing in her phone caught her attention as it vibrated against the wooden table. Grabbing it without much thought, she opened it up and read the text. Not the name, the text. For a moment she just read the text, thinking lunch could be fun, but then something clicked with whom it’d been sent from. It wasn’t Colt...since they lived together and text messages weren’t needed for that sort of thing.<br/><br/>It was Athan. Since she and Colt had kissed, he’d not been in her thoughts. Now, here was a text asking if she wanted to go to lunch. Her brow furrowed at it, wondering if it was something she dared accept.<span style="font-style: italic">He’s still a friend,</span>Tempest told herself.<span style="font-style: italic">Lunch with a friend is normal...even if that friendship could be complicated.</span><br/><br/>Getting up from the couch, she sent the text before she lost the nerve, a simple text saying “alright”. Then, letting out a breath, she wandered downstairs to find Colt playing basketball, leaning against the wall as she watched him for a bit, rather than interrupt right off.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The text was probably a bad idea, but Athan just had to see Tempest and not just for a few moments while they got ready to dance.  The time since then he has thought that he made a huge mistake in ending their relationship. It was not fair to her and with the kiss that they shared that night; he wanted to try just once more. Maybe it could be different, maybe they could be together with just a bit more work? <br/><br/>It was worth a try and he was more than willing to give it ago. As he got ready for this lunch, he could not shake the feeling of nerves as they wove knots in his stomach. <span style="font-style: italic">This was just a lunch, nothing concrete or anything yet. Just a lunch to test the waters</span>.<br/><br/><br/>Over the past couple of days Colt had been in heaven. Life seemed to be looking up and him and Tempest grew closer every day. The whole notion to take it slow was the right one, if hard to follow with how much he wanted her. But, so far he had managed to make it work. Right now he figured a bit of basketball would be fun and it also helped him to clear his head while he tried to figure out what he wanted to do with her later for dinner. <br/><br/>At the free point line he bounced the ball a couple of times before he took a shot. It went in and came back to him, where he continued to do this for another ten minutes or so. By the time Tempest showed up he had moved back to the three point line, where he sunk a couple of baskets before he dunked it; for her benefit of course.  “Totally not showing off,” he said with a smile, while he advanced on her position, ball tucked under his arm. Given the sport he was playing, he settled for just a pair of shorts and opted to go shirtless. <br/><br/>A kiss was given lightly on her lips, the hug held back since he  figured she might not want his sweaty self on her just then. “What’s up?”</span><br/><br/>Watching him play basketball was already impressive enough without him needing to show off. Her ability to shoot baskets was...nonexistent. Sure, she could jump to close<span style="font-style: italic">some</span>of the gap between her and the net, but to get the ball in the basket was another matter entirely. So, as he was shooting, she openly admired the way his muscles rippled beneath his skin, the way he shot with little issue, making each swish of the net seem like a breeze.<br/><br/>When he made it a point to dunk it, she applauded, merely rolling her eyes at his declaration of not showing off. A smile pulled at her lips as he moved toward her, back resting against the wall and making no move to bridge the gap; No, she liked the sight of him walking over to her, sweat glistening in the light. Kiss returned, light and sweet, the nerves started in again.<span style="font-style: italic">That’s right, you had a reason you were coming down here…</span><br/><br/>“Well, Athan texted me…” she started, voice hesitant. “He wants to go to lunch with me.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Oh?” her hesitation is what caused him to perk a brow, though a smirk teased the corners of his mouth. “Any place special, or just to hang out?”</span><br/><br/>“Just to hang out,” she answered, eyeing his smirk as it made her feel just a bit more at ease. “Close by, for lunch.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Alright,” is all he said, then he leaned down and kissed her deeply, his tongue pushing its way into her mouth while he kept her against the wall. When it ended he smirked, “Just something to think about while you are out.” The words were whispered against her ear, then he stood back and smiled, “Have fun.”</span><br/><br/>She hardly had time to react as he leaned down, kissing her deep and stealing all of the air from her lungs. There was no escape, kept there against the wall as his tongue pushed past her lips, tongue happily meeting his as her hands slid up his body, head light and heart pounding.<br/><br/>...And then it ended and he smirked at her, whispering in her ear as he left her there, flustered and panting. “...You just like seeing me flustered…” she mumbled at him, before pressing a kiss into his cheek. “Be home later.”<br/><br/>With that, she left walking over to where Athan had told her to meet and praying she wasn’t about to make mistake by going, let alone accepting the invitation. But they were friends, right? Friends could go to lunch, couldn’t they? Even if they had history and the last time they saw each other, they made out and wanted to rip each other’s clothes off…[/i] On her way over, she almost turned back around and canceled.<br/><br/>Then, when she at the place before she knew it, and she paced back and forth trying to remain as cool as possible, despite the butterflies in her stomach.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“For once you beat me,” Athan remarked as he walked up to her, though he stopped a bit from her. “Thank you for meeting me, I thought it might be nice to be friends and you know just hang out with another. Right?”</span><br/><br/>She nearly jumped at the sound of his voice, glancing over at him with what she hoped was a smile that didn’t read as nervous as she felt. “Right,” she affirmed. “Friends hang out. It makes perfect sense.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Exactly,” he said with a warm smile. “So, what are you craving? Or more what do you feel like eating more?”</span><br/><br/>A thought came to mind, a craving that she was, most definitely, not going to admit. It had her visibly shaking her head and then shrugging. “I’m in a more...simple mood. Something easy, even going so far as to stopping at a Mexican truck for a taco. I guess the question is more, what did you have in mind? I mean, your food tastes are bit more...varied than mine. Anything you feel like eating? After all, you<span style="font-style: italic">did</span>ask me, so I figured you’d have an idea of what you wanted.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He chuckled, “Fair enough, but I don’t need food the way that you do.” The last bit ended in a small wink, before he started off toward a place that would be <span style="font-style: italic">simple</span>. “I cannot say that I have ever eaten at a Taco truck. The idea of eating while walking just seems odd to me,” he gave a shrug. “It probably has to do with my fear of staining a shirt or something,” his small attempt at a joke that he hoped would loosen up the tension between them.</span><br/><br/>“You...worried about staining your shirt?” she asked in mock surprise. “I thought you’d be perfectly content getting dirty.” And then, as it led into a question she’d always wanted to know, she plunged ahead. “So, do you...not own a t-shirt? Or jeans? Or, I don’t know...sneakers?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Not a single one,” he replied with a small shrug of his shoulders. “I just never felt right wearing anything like that,” he ventured to explain while they walked.</span><br/><br/>“Maybe that’s why you’re so uptight all the time,” she joked, nudging him with an arm. “You’re afraid to let loose and not look like you stepped off of a page of GQ.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Uptight? I can’t believe you just called me uptight!” he said in mock offense. “And I actually had a hand in the founding of GQ, thank you very much,” he scoffed. “I mean is there anything wrong with wanting to look this good all the time?” he asked with a gesture down at himself.</span><br/><br/>“Of course you’re uptight!” she replied. “And why am I not surprised you helped found it? You with your affinity for stuffy suits...I mean, some of us find men in jeans and a t-shirt even more attractive than the constant button ups. Just as a thought, old man.” With another nudge, she fell into step with him, finally relaxed. “Wait...should I not nudge you? I wouldn’t want to break any bones or anything… Did your nurse give you permission to be out?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Hey, I got this hip replaced and I have never been more spry you young whipper snapper,” he said in his <span style="font-style: italic">old man</span> voice. “Really? The t-shirt look is appealing?” he asked not really believing what she said.</span><br/><br/>Another eye roll later, and she shrugged. “Seeing a guy so...relaxed? I mean, a tailored suit can do wonders for a man’s physique, don’t get me wrong...but a fitted or relaxed t-shirt and jeans? It can have the same effect. I personally find a guy wearing jeans and a fitted t-shirt extremely attractive.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“That explains how Colt sometimes gets the girl over me,” he said with a smirk.</span><br/><br/>“Maybe if you loosened up, we ladies wouldn’t feel like we had to be proper around you all the time,” she continued to tease. “It’s hard being ‘perfect’ all the time.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"No it's not," he commented back.</span><br/><br/>Her brow lifted as she scoffed. “You’re not perfect, darling. I’m sorry to burst that illusion, but your nurse should have done that centuries ago.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"You are just too short to see how perfect I am," he commented with a slight shrug.</span><br/><br/>“I didn’t seem to be too short a few weeks back…” she threw out there with a roguish grin. “Besides, I think it’s the lack of oxygen up there that makes for your imperfection. Human or not, no oxygen in the brain makes for imperfection...or a stick up the ass. That could have something to do with it. Should I get someone to remove that for you?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Since you are down there already, would you mind?" he asked with his sweetest smile.</span><br/><br/>"Absolutely. Bend over for me, and try to relax..." she answered back just as sweetly, batting her eyelashes.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Not to be outdone in this little game, he stopped at a park bench and began to undo his pants. “Make sure you get it out for me, no matter how deep in there it is, cause I need to not be so uptight,” he commented while he lowered his pants.</span><br/><br/>Her eyes widened a touch as he stopped and began to undo his pants. “Wait…” His pants were already lowering, her eyes rapidly scanning and looking for passersby, cheeks flushing. “We’re going to do this...right here? Shouldn’t a nurse...with gloves...root around up there for the stick you lost during some extra curricular activities?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“No, I trust you,” he remarked as he placed his thumbs along the waistline of his underwear. “You ready for this?”</span><br/><br/>Her eyes widened tenfold, jaw slack as he hooked his thumbs in his underwear. “...You’re not really going to have me do an anal cavity exam right here, right now, are you?” As it was, an elderly couple looked to be on their way home from an early-bird dinner, left overs in hand, watching the pair with disgust and skirting around as Tempest tried to offer them an apologetic smile, cheeks reddening all the more.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Take back the uptight comment and I will pull my pants back up, ok?” he said and lowered his underwear a bit more.</span><br/><br/>“I don’t have to take back the truth,” she shot back, taking a few steps back. “You’ll get arrested for indecent exposure before I can get a knuckle deep.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Or, I compel the cops to leave me be and even ask them for their gloves to help you out,” underwear lowered more.</span><br/><br/>There were no other words said. Instead, where his pants were down and his underwear was lowering, too, she bolted. “Search yourself!”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Unnatural vampiric speed and he was in front of her, “You scared of a little nudity? That does not seem like you at all.”</span><br/><br/>“Nudity, I’m fine with, thank you,” she shot back, startled that he was suddenly in front of her to the point that she fairly ran into him. “However, rooting around in your ass is not a kink I thought you were into!”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“It’s not,” he smirked everything on him already in place before he started to walk again. “I just don’t like to lose and well, I have never lost a bet or challenge,” another shrug and the conversation lapsed for a moment. “Ah, here we are,” he said when they stopped by a Taco shack. “Thought this might be as close to the taco thing that you wanted.”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">May not have been a verbal challenge, but you have lost one…</span>she thought to herself, yet another thought unvoiced. Instead, she kept up with the calm, relaxed atmosphere and couldn’t hide her mild surprise at his taking her to a taco shack. “And you’re going to eat tacos?” she asked, eyes wide. “I mean...Tacos don’t seem to be something that someone so<span style="font-style: italic">perfect</span>would eat.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“I can be a bit less perfect and have a taco or two with you,” he said and went to hold the door open for her. “I mean you like them, so they have to taste fairly good, right?”</span><br/><br/>Walking in ahead of him, she nodded, leading the way in toward a table where she pulled out a chair. A mock bow was given. “Your Highness,” she cooed, bowing all the deeper with a flourish.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Oh, you spoil me" he said with a hand to his chest and a rather convincing look of coyness. Once he was seated he folded his hands on the table, "Well, what are you going to buy me for lunch?"</span><br/><br/>“Am<span style="font-style: italic">I</span>going to buy lunch for<span style="font-style: italic">you</span>?” she replied, scoffing. “No...See, that’s not how it works. You pay for your own and I pay for mine,<span style="font-style: italic">or</span>you pay for mine as you invited me out. Though, I think I’m already paying as someone wanted me up their backside a few moments ago…” But, still she stood, taking her wallet out and nodding up at the board. “What would you like to try? Taco? Burrito? Enchilada? Quesadilla? Chalupa? Nachos? Pick something and I’ll buy it for you. But, don’t speak fast enough, and I’ll get you the worst thing on the menu.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He rolled his eyes and took out a money clip from his pants pocket, “You wound my pride woman with calling into question my paying for you, seeing as how I did invite you out.” The whole of the clip was handed over to her, “Since I am new to this kind of food, I will trust your judgment to get us both something that is at least edible.” <br/><br/>This was nice; he would readily admit that this was nice, very nice. A laid back atmosphere with her, where they laughed joked and he acted far out of character. Who knows, maybe after today, he will go and buy one of those t-shirt things that she claimed was just as attractive as his current attire.</span><br/><br/>The wad of money was taken, outwardly fine with the amount of money he’d just handed her while mentally she was in shock of how easily he handed it over. Did she use it, though? No. Instead, she wandered up to the counter and placed their order, waiting for it while humming along with the music on the radio. A little dance (though nothing notable) was done while waiting, and then she brought their food back to the table.<br/><br/>Once the tray was down, she explained his order: a taco sampler so he could get a taste of the variety, with the varying toppings and dips. And, as she sat, she handed the wad of money back over to him to repocket.<br/><br/>“Alright, do you need anything else before I get more comfortable? I could ask for a bib for you, perhaps? A hazmat suit?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“I’ll just make sure to wipe my face on your shirt if I have an issue,” he stated while pocketed his money clip. “This looks like a lot of food, what do you expect me to just gorge myself on food? I think Colt has given you insane expectations when it comes to people,” he shook his head and focused on the food in front of him. <br/><br/>He tried the taco a couple of different ways, but as of yet, had not found anything that was particularly appealing. Perhaps, his sense of taste was far more refined than everyone else? Whatever the reason he found it to be good, but not something he would go out of his way for on his own. For her? Sure, but not something to go and get on his own.</span><br/><br/>“Or perhaps it’s nothing to do with Colt, and instead to do with the dancer appetite that you should have that I forget you don’t possess,” she replied to that with a perked brow. “But I figured it was only an appetizer, so it shouldn’t have been too much. However, you have to keep your girlish figure in check though, right? Can’t be too careful with what you eat.”<br/><br/>And, as they ate, she noticed he wasn’t overly happy with it. He ate it, certainly, but it wasn’t anything like the fancy restaurants she was sure he frequented at; Or even comparable to the food he likely cooked himself when he decided to do so. He’d asked her what she wanted, though, so he had to suffer through it.<br/><br/>Idle chatter was had as she ate, until she was eventually filled, relaxing back in her chair and sipping on the water she’d gotten herself. It was then she finally decided to ask. “Why now?” As the question was out of the blue, she elaborated, head tilting to the side. “I know we’ve been wanting to just do the friend thing, but why act on it now? And why keep comparing things to Colt?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">It took her to get to the point, oddly he was not surprised by this fact and instead used a napkin to wipe his face and use the time to gather his thoughts. “I guess, when it comes to the whole Colt thing, I am trying to judge in a very poor way, how close the two of you have become since you moved in with him,” a confession, at least a partial one as he looked away for a moment before he took the time to look back at her eyes. <br/><br/>“The other reason, is that well…I think I made a huge mistake in ending our relationship and I wanted you to know that I still cared for you and wanted to maybe talk about getting back together…”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">He’s trying to judge how close we are?</span>she repeated, her brow furrowing a bit as he looked away, allowing her to mull it over. Maybe it was because of their general dislike of each other, or maybe because of the dislike that went deeper than species alone. No matter what had transpired at their last dance practice, she didn’t immediately peg it for anything related to jealousy or feelings; Athan had done fairly well at keeping her in the dark in that regard.<br/><br/>It wasn’t until he said the other reason that things made sense. In one regard, her heart jumped and there was an instant elation. He did still care. Even though he’d ended it, he did still care.<br/><br/>...And then the way she felt when it all came crashing down hit her and that elation died with it. They’d spoken when he asked her officially to try. He’d spoken about how he pushed people away, hurt them before they could hurt him. What if a second time around was only worse?<br/><br/>Then came thoughts of Colt. Colt had always been honest with her, hadn’t hurt her. He went out of his way to keep her happy, to make sure that she was alright. Being with Colt was different than being with Athan, felt different. He didn’t sneak off like Athan once did… His mood swings were of the legendary variety. His secret may have been out now, but that didn’t diminish how little she knew of him.<br/><br/>For a long while, she was silent. Her eyes dropped while she thought it over, lip chewed on in thought as she was at a loss for what to say. “Athan, I…” Tempest started, voice quiet. “...I’m not sure what to say…”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">It was like he watched a movie as the various emotions played across her face. Happiness, despair and the uncertainty. When she finally spoke he was just as much a bundle of nerves that she was, “Can we maybe just think about it, or talk about it? I mean...do you miss me?” he asked her carefully.</span><br/><br/>Her fingers fidgeted in her lap, taking the opportunity to clean up the trash, to buy herself more time. “Walk with me?” she asked instead, not answering his question, but needing air; the atmosphere of the restaurant was feeling too stuffy all of a sudden.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Of course,” Athan said as he stood and went to pull out her chair for her.</span><br/><br/>As he pulled out her chair, she stood, offering him a small smile but feeling too nervous to give him more than that.<br/><br/>Once outside, they walked in silence. She wasn’t able to answer right off as her mind was racing in a million different directions. On the one hand, she’d hated him for what he did, taking the decision from her and deciding what was best for her, for both of them. She hated how he’d not been honest and then, when the going got tough, gave up without any effort to push forward. Now, she couldn’t be certain of what was prompting his change of heart, their reconnection through dance...her budding relationship with Colt…<br/><br/>Their walk took them to a park, where she sat down on a bench, watching people walking by for a long while before she finally found the courage to speak, words.<br/><br/>“I can’t say I don’t miss you...because I do.” It was the first statement she’d said since leaving, and she left it at that for a while, only to then plunge forward. “But I can’t say that what you did to me didn’t hurt...didn’t make me rethink things...You once said to me that you’d be willing to try and then gave up...You weren’t honest with me…” Another pause as her eyes looked at him, brow furrowed in thought. “How do I know that what you’re asking now, even just to consider it, isn’t brought on because of Colt?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The walk was painfully silent, but he knew better than to try and broach the subject before she was ready. It would have been futile otherwise and right now, all he wanted was for her to hear him out and to consider trying their relationship once more. In order for that to happen, he had wait and give her all the time that she needed. At the park he could not help but take in the other people as they walked by, the happy human couples. Part of him wondered if he would ever have something like that? Or if he would be destined to be alone? <br/><br/>The bench was hard and for once he did not check to see if there was anything on the bench before he took a seat. So focused was he on Tempest and what she would say to him, that the rest of it was ignored. The words that she finally spoke made him feel, hopeful to some degree. There was a small bit of hope if she missed him as he missed her. <br/><br/>“I know that I was not honest with you and I can never take that back, but I do wish to be given the chance to try. As for Colt,” he paused and looked away. “I will be honest and say that he does have something to do with this, but not in the way you might think. When I saw the two of you together, happy and you had this closeness. I remembered our closeness and it made me want it back, though I was not prepared to even try to get it back until we danced…until we kissed…” he spoke softly. “When we kissed I remember all of the good times and remembered how much comfort I could derive just from one single kiss…and I missed that. I missed you…” <br/><br/>There is was, all of his feelings bare before waiting for her to do with them as she wished. To hopefully, give him that chance he desires. To hopefully allow him a chance to make amends for what he has done to her. The ball was in her court now, as the saying went and he could only sit there pensive and wait for her to respond.</span><br/><br/>She let him speak, as it was only fair when he’d allowed her the same courtesy. Part of her wanted to yell at him for what he’d done, for how he’d handled everything, but she didn’t. She sat there, attentive, listening to what it was he wanted to say and express.<br/><br/>When Colt’s name came up, however, she almost broke her silence. He was right when he continued; It wasn’t in the way that she’d expected. It was like...when the two of them were together, they were in constant competition. And, the last time they’d been in the same room together, they’d had a stare off, one that continued even when Athan spoke with her, eyes never wavering from Colt’s. Today, the man’s name had been like word vomit, coming up with nearly every topic they discussed; She knew now it was in an attempt to gauge their closeness--one he’d not quite pegged for what it was--but it left her wondering if it was only to keep Colt from having something.<br/><br/>He elaborated, though. He explained what it was that’d been the turning point. He explained that watching them dance and seeing them together brought back the very same memories that she’d shoved off for the last few weeks. That their kiss had been the final spark in the powder keg to ignite his want to regain what he’d lost.<br/><br/>What he’d given up.<br/><br/>But, did she want to try again? She had Colt, someone whom she could be herself around, whom she felt close to in a way she’d not felt with Athan. Yes, they’d been happy...incredibly so when the times were good. Then when things dipped, they were volatile. Would it be different this time around? What would truly change?<br/><br/>“We were happy together…” Tempest replied after another long moment of silence. “When we were happy, it was like nothing else mattered...nothing else existed...But when we weren’t happy, we were the furthest from it. We had a relationship built on lies where I didn’t feel like I knew you; I still...don’t feel like I know you…” Her eyes dropped, fingers pulling at the base of her shirt for something to do as her foot twitched, nervous energy pent up.<br/><br/>“...I need to know you...and we need to be completely honest with each other…” There was another pause as her tongue darted out over her lips. “...If I’m even going to consider this...and I won’t lie, I’m hesitant to...We need to get to know each other again. No lies, no half-truths...I would want to know<span style="font-style: italic">you</span>, not the you you show everyone else.” Her eyes chanced a glance up at him, a short glance before her eyes quickly dropped again.<br/><br/>“...We can’t rush it. Last time...we fell headlong into...what we had, and this time, I won’t do that. I want to get to know you better, to have a more natural growth into a relationship than we had before.”<br/><br/>Then came the part she was dreading, the part that she wanted to be honest about with him, just as she would with the other party involved. “...And there is one more thing...The closeness you speak of with Colt and I...it’s there. He’s trying for the very thing you are, and I’ve told him the same thing. No rushing, to take it slow. I know it’s...not what you want to hear, but you should know. Just as I’m telling you, I’ll tell him of what we’ve spoken of.” Her eyes steeled, glancing up at him and holding his gaze this time around. “If you cannot handle knowing that Colt is trying for the very thing you are, because of the honesty I want us to have, this won’t work…”<br/><br/>Her hands clasped in her lap and her eyes dropped once more, this time raising as softer, more raw...almost worried. “If you can agree...to what I ask...then I will agree to consider trying again…”<br/><br/>Now the ball was back in his court. What he chose to make of what she said would determine where they went from there.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">To say that hearing this did not upset him would have been a lie. As it was his jaw clenched and unclenched, while his hands closed tightly into fists. <span style="font-style: italic">I knew it! I knew that fucking mutt would try to move in on her the moment I was out of the way!</span> He raged within, careful to keep his face neutral save for how his jaw currently worked. <br/><br/>“If I can be honest, I don’t think it is fair.” <br/><br/>Tone a bit blunt, though he worked to cool his anger and frustration, “I mean if we are both pursuing you it is not fair that he gets to live with you and has a near constant access to you. That would give him more time to show you things and be with you, which would leave me out in the dark, so to speak, until we had our own dates and such.”</span><br/><br/>She knew the news wouldn’t be good to him; If anything, she almost expected a more outward reaction. As it was, she could see his mind working, see the muscle of his jaw twitching and swore she heard a few knuckles crack as he clenched his fists. But, she waited until he spoke, her face holding back the urge to widen her eyes at his sudden blunt remark.<span style="font-style: italic">It’s to be expected,</span>she told herself, letting him get it out before answering herself.<br/><br/>“He didn’t make any moves until very recently...” Tempest felt the need to elaborate, to let him know it wasn’t something that happened the moment he left her that night. “I was looking for an apartment after I got noise complaints from the superintendent and neighbors, and the damage in the apartment was the last straw. Colt offered me a place to stay, and I wasn’t going to turn down a friend...He sounded as lonely as I felt.<br/><br/>“But we didn’t live together when you pursued me the last time, did we?” she tried to reason. “We danced, connected, and then that night after dinner you came back to my place because I was supposed to ‘protect you from the big bad world’. We didn’t live together at all while we were together, either...Now I know the reason, but do you think it changed our dynamic?”<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">This isn’t going quite like I imagined it would,</span>came a rueful thought, unable to convey her words as she intended them to be. “I appreciate your honesty...and I’m glad you didn’t just harbor it and remain silent about the arrangement. I’m not sure what to do about it, though...First and foremost, Colt is a friend. I’ve got my own room, my own space within the building...Do you want me to move? Is that what you think would make this fair?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Athan sighed, he felt like a child begging his mother for some extra time to hangout with his friends, the thought and feelings that came with it left a sour taste in his mouth. “For the sake of honesty, I would have to say that yes I would want you to move. To at least give each of us equal footing,” he confessed after a moment.</span><br/><br/>There was a sour taste in her own mouth now, one she couldn’t help. She’d said she would consider getting back together with him, but he was asking her to move because he wanted to be on equal footing. He’d let her go and now wanted her to uproot from a place she’d only started to get comfortable in because he wanted a second chance.<br/><br/>“For the sake of honesty, I’ll tell you that I’m a little hurt that you don’t think it’d be fair, but I can understand your point of view.” A sigh of her own escaped her lips as her hand came up to hold her chin, slouching a bit forward while she thought. “Where I’m considering getting back together with you...I ask that you give me time to consider...before uprooting my life again. Give me time to talk to him, give him the same respect I’m giving you. Can you give me that?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Yes, of course,” he said with a nod, though the look on her face made him think that he might have stepped over some line.</span><br/><br/>She looked over at him, a small smile on her lips as her hand reached for his, resting lightly atop it. “Thank you...I know it’s not easy, and I know you don’t like this...but thank you. I appreciate it more than you know.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The contact made him smile and relax a bit more, the simple validation of his feelings and his efforts making a surprising difference to him. “So, um, what do we do now?” he asked in terms of the rest of their day.</span><br/><br/>“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “This isn’t exactly how I pictured lunch going, so you’ve caught me offguard. But...we could do something to get to know one another better...or we could do something entirely unrelated? Play a game or something? Your guess is as good as mine.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">A game, that was an idea he had not done in a while, nor had he really been one to even seek out a game to play while he sought some form of entertainment. “I don’t think I know of many games to play, but if you are willing to teach me something then I would very much enjoy playing a game with you,” he said with a small smile.</span><br/><br/>“You don’t know of many games?” she repeated, eyes widening as she tried to lighten the atmosphere with the teasing they’d been doing before they sat down for lunch. “What did you do for 400 years? Twiddle your thumbs and tell young whipper snappers to get off of your lawn?” Another nudge and she, too, was relaxing. “What games did you used to play, back in the day when games weren’t too<span style="font-style: italic">beneath</span>your perfect status.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“I swear you are either offended or baffled by me and my sense of self-worth,” he remarked with a grin. “As for what I did, before I read a lot and studied a lot. Worked on my dancing, spent time with my family,” he said with a small shrug.</span><br/><br/>“No...not offended or baffled, but I feel the need to poke it with a stick in hopes of popping it, like any best friend would,” she retorted with a smirk. “Just like if you fell over, I’d point and laugh before asking if you were okay; Them’s the rules!” But, after he spoke of what he did, her gaze turned curious. “You didn’t play any games with your family?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“There was little time for games, I was being groomed to take over my family’s holdings, so everything was very serious. However, the dinners and balls that we attended were fun and with my cousins I did play the hide and seek game on the family grounds. Those games could last for hours,” he said with a fond smile for memories past.</span><br/><br/>Her curiosity was getting the better of her. Though the topic had been to figure out a game to teach him, she wanted to know more of his life and what he did. His upbringing, his history. “What were the dinners and balls like? And where was your land?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“They were ever the grand affairs that people write about today,” he began, his voice shifted just a hair to allow for a hint of his accent to show. “Glass, candles, grand fashion and anyone who was anyone there trying to make another feel like shit,” he chuckled. “I could recite those of noble birth easily and know all of their kin, down to even the occasional bastard or two,” another soft laugh. “I would dance and people would watch, it felt like I was in another world. Probably some of the happiest times of my life were at these parties.”</span><br/><br/>His accent started to come out, and it had her smiling, if only a touch. French was a beautiful language and, while she’d never heard him speak it or use the accent, the accent came out and it had her thinking he was going further into the memories...It was a side of him she’d not seen, someone so reminiscent and truthful. “Would you dance alone? Or would you dance with partners?” she asked then. “Were the dances like those I’ve seen in movies, where you don’t touch for part of it, always close but never closing the gap? Or was that a different time?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“I had partners, lots of partners, my father used me as an ice breaker if he wanted to deal with another lord,” he began. “I would dance with the daughter, or even wife of the lord in question and my father would talk to the lord. Once the dance was done, they were all smiles and would encourage their husbands or fathers to be nice, because I had danced so wonderfully with them,” he explained. “There were parts like that yes, I began to do solo performances when I got older and my father would hold dinners where I would be part of the entertainment.”</span><br/><br/>“He used you as an icebreaker?” she repeated. “How did deals like that work? I know that women weren’t included in such dealings, but why did you need to entertain the ladies so your father could talk with the lord? To what end did that accomplish anything?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Despite the gender roles that were established, women held as much sway as men, if not more so,” he started to explain. “If the women were happy, then the men were happy and then they would be more agreeable to a deal my father proposed.”</span><br/><br/>“Really? Huh…” she said. “The text books always painted it so...one-sided. Women were there to pretty things up and the men made the decisions. They never really delved into that side of it, so I’d never have known. Are there any other misconceptions? Any other roles that were different than the books portray?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“There are a few, though mainly it was the gender roles. Women may not have had “active roles”, but they were just as if not more important than the men,” he tried to explain. “People were nicer back then too, because there was so little in the way of medicine that many would have died if not for the help of their neighbors and friends.”</span><br/><br/>“It doesn’t take much for people to be nicer than they are, now…” Nodding, knowing well most people blew up over the simplest things. “Other than people being nicer...if there was one thing you could change about today’s society to be like it was back then...what would it be?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Suits,” he replied simply. “I think men should go back to wearing suits. There was a certain class that I feel is lost now that men don’t take the time to wear a nice suit.”</span><br/><br/>“Out of all things, you’d want men to wear suits all the time?” she replied, voice edging on humorous. “Is there anything you’d change then to something that exists now?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"More balls and a sense of honor," he tried again, seeing as how she was rather against him and suits.</span><br/><br/>“Athan, don’t change your answer because I teased you about it; I have nothing against a man in a suit.” Her tone was more serious this time around. “Now, what would you change from your time to something that we have now? Anything?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">There was a pause as he thought before he gave a shrug, "Honestly, no. These are two different times." Another pause and he frowned slightly, "I'd wish I was human and not a vampire. It is about the only thing that I miss in this time."</span><br/><br/>“If you had a chance to go back...and stop from becoming a vampire, would you?” she asked then, voice careful and quiet.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"I would," he said without hesitation. "I have come to find pleasure with this life and happiness," he smiled at her, "but I would not choose this life again if I was given a choice to change it. There are things that I miss which I can never get back now, parts of what made me, me that are gone."</span><br/><br/>She should have expected it, but hearing it was still a sad fact. “...What do you miss? What parts of you are gone?” Tempest asked. “...If you’re willing to tell me, of course...You don’t have to divulge all your inner workings now…”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He smiled, "My soul. I know that is hard to believe but I feel like I am dead inside. It had been there when I was first turned, but over time it has just gone away. I can feel, but my feelings are not the same as they once were." He gave a shrug and fell silent as he just looked at his shoes that shifted nervously on the ground.</span><br/><br/>The way he spoke, she frowned. Everyone had a soul, even if they were a vampire. Then again, she didn’t know from experience, but she thought it had more to do with a separation from their humanity itself. If some lore was correct, they could turn emotions off, right? Maybe, with the pain he felt, he got used to shutting it out and the disconnect has never reconnected. But this wasn’t the time to speculate, so she merely nodded, knowing it could be a discussion for another time.<br/><br/>“I noticed you have an accent,” she said instead. “Why did you never speak with it in front of me?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Parce que, il est plus réservé quand je suis en train de faire juste dans le pantalon de quelqu'un." The French rolled from his tongue with little effort and he could not help but smile as he spoke to her.</span><br/><br/>His words drew a smile to her lips, though another memory pulled at her mind, one where he spoke fluent French the night he took her out and dropped her on her ass. But his admittance also reminded her she should be honest with him. “I have a small confession,” she said quietly, not elaborating on it while she looked over at him, face placid so as not to give away with the confession was.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Oh? What confession would that be?" he asked all ears and completely curious as to what she wanted to confess.</span><br/><br/>“How you hear me speak…” There was a pause and then she let it out. “...It ain’t how me voice gen’r’ly be. Ah drop me accen’ ‘coz it sounds too impropah.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Where are you from?” he asked with a huge smile. “Sounds like you are from the Newcastle area, but I would not have pegged you from there,” he said in complete shock.</span><br/><br/>“Ah em from Newcastle, act’ly,” she replied with a nod and a shy smile. “Came o’er when me mum ‘n’ pop want’d tah try teh Americ’n dream. Me accent was so thick ‘n’ people look’d at meh funneh...so I dropp’d it. Gen’r’leh comes out when ah’m frustra’ed or exci’ed, but...there yah have et.”<br/><br/>Then after a moment, she added, “Oh...’n’ ah know exac’leh whut yah say when yah speakin’ French. ...Ah just can’ speak it well meself.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Je suis sûr que, puisque la langue française exige un peu de finesse et de cet accent ... eh bien ...", he chuckled and prepared to duck out of the way from an attack he thought might come.</span><br/><br/>He ducked, and she aimed lower, punching him in the thigh before glowering at him playfully. “If’n Ah didn’ know eny bettah, Ah’d be think’n’ yer tryin’ tah get in me pants whut with all this French talkin’...” she added with a roguish glint to her eyes. “Innat whutchu said uhbou’ et?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Well, I have been in the pants, this is merely the icing on the cake,” he said with a wink. “Who else knows about this lovely voice of yours?”</span><br/><br/>There was a slight blush and yet another nudge, though this one was far less of an “angry” one. Falling silent, she allowed her thoughts to shift, to allow her accent to disappear again, using that time to gather her answer. “Other than my family?” she asked, her look fully aware of her smartassness in that moment. “Only one other person...purely by accident, in fact. My composure slipped and the accent came out.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“I should hope that your family knows about your accent, or else they have been very neglectful,” he said with a chuckle. “I find it hard to believe that you lost your composer to the point that your accent just slipped out,” he teased. “You are about as composed as I am most of the time,” he snickered.</span><br/><br/>She rolled her eyes. “It happened, so you are now the second person ever to know that I’ve the full Newcastle accent. And I intend to keep it that way.” With a nod, she stood and stretched. “Now...we can walk and continue my prompting you for questions, you can ask me a few, or we can find something to do. Heck, we can even play ‘Hide and Seek’ if you’d like...since it’s the only game you know!”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“I think the walking and talking thing would be best, mostly because a game with me would not be fair at all,” he said and stood. “Though I doubt there is anything else interesting about me for you to learn, after all I am just uptight and boring,” he said with a fake sigh.</span><br/><br/>“You are pretty uptight...and pretty boring…” she replied, backing away from him with a mock look of bemusement. “Not sure what else I can learn except for how to make a diamond by putting a piece of coal up my ass, right alongside that stick…” Waggling her brows, she turned around and started walking. “So, what shall we talk about now, Athan?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“It takes a lot of focus and some delicate clenching,” he joked. “And honestly, I am not really sure, there is nothing really exciting about me. You want to try and ask me something that you have been curious about?”</span><br/><br/>She fell into a thoughtful silence, wondering what she really wanted to know. There were the obvious vampire questions...but she wanted to know more about his life, how he spent those hundreds of years. “What time period...since your turning, has been your favorite to live in?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“The modern age,” he responded easily. “While, I miss the suits and sense of honor, I love the technology and how so much of the world is literally at my fingertips,” he explained. “Not to mention, people are almost in love with Vampires, so I can actually use that when talking to people and get a positive response.”</span><br/><br/>And that led her to a question that she’d been wondering and he’d never answered. “...If people are almost in love with vampires...why wouldn’t you have used that to talk to me? The night you ended it...you told me you weren’t sure if you’d be honest...but you’re honest with others? I don’t understand…”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Athan sighed and ran his hands through his hair, “Well, when I tell people I am a vampire it is usually in a Gothic club where the people there are all high on something. It is or was a nice ploy that I would use when I wanted to feed openly with a crowd watching, It…satisfied a particular…thing that I have…” he explained carefully.</span><br/><br/>“You...went to clubs...to openly feed…?” she repeated, unsure of how she felt about that. “Did you...only feed on them, or did you, you know…?<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">That was something he was not sure he should answer, so instead he just cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sometimes…” he said after a moment, followed by another clearing of his throat.</span><br/><br/>She nodded, and fell silent. Another question was on her mind, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer. “...Have you ever wanted to...feed on me?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Though he was expecting the question that did not make his answering of it any easier, “Yes,” was all he said after a moment.</span><br/><br/>“...Like you fed on those in those clubs…?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Yes..."</span><br/><br/>“...Did you kill those you fed on and...did things with in those clubs?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Yes..."</span><br/><br/>Her blood ran a little colder as she looked over at him. “...So you...wanted to kill me?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"No...but when I feed sometimes I don't have the control to stop..."</span><br/><br/>“...Do you...still want to feed on me?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Yes..."</span><br/><br/>She wasn’t sure what she thought of that. Yes, she’d liked when they were together and he’d bitten her, just as she’d bitten him. But to break the skin...to be fed on? “...When we were...intimate...and you would bite my neck...did you have the urge to feed from me?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Yes a rather strong one, there is a level of intimacy that is only achieved through such an act. I felt it when we were together and I felt it the other day when we kissed."</span><br/><br/>“Is that why you looked at me the way you did? When I...pulled back and stopped the moment during our dance?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Yes. Even now as we are walking together I can hear the blood as it flows in your veins, can practically taste your pulse and it is something that I want."</span><br/><br/>She fell silent, then, looking over at him, hesitant curiosity in her gaze before looking away. “...Why...why did you never...feed from me?” Tempest whispered.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"I rather not risk losing control and draining you completely," he said softly. "Plus, I would had to have had revealed myself to you. That was not something I was ready to do yet."</span><br/><br/>That pulled a small smile to her lips before it slowly slid off. “I apologize for asking what I’m about to now…but, I need to know…” She paused, her steps slowing as she stopped completely and looked up at him, a hand reaching to hold his. “...For that week you ran through the clubs...why did you take it out on them? What was it that had you there...nightly? And...during that week...did you consider doing to me what...you did to them?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Now this was not something that he expected to answer and as such he was just floored for a moment while the rest of his brain tried to catch up. “I was angry and I wanted to hurt someone…I wanted to hurt you, because somehow I had convinced myself it was your fault. So, I went and took it out on them, because no matter how upset I was or how much I blamed you, I knew it was not your fault and I just could not bring myself to actually hurting you…” <br/><br/>It was the truth, a very ugly truth but the truth none the less and he hoped that she would not hold it against him. Though, even if she did, he could not really blame her.</span><br/><br/>As he stood there, trying to think, she stood there, too. Her eyes didn’t break contact, her hand still holding his as she waited with bated breath, wondering what answer he’d say. And the answer he said...had her heart in her throat. He’d wanted to hurt her, he’d blamed her for it. Even if he hadn’t been able to bring himself to hurt her, he’d blamed her for it.<br/><br/>“...You don’t still...blame me, do you?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"No," he said with a smile. "I am well aware it was my fault and for that I am eternally sorry and hope that you can forgive me and well, if this relationship does not work out that we can still be friends."</span><br/><br/>What reservations she still had with the topic they’d been talking about dissipated, causing her to rise up on tip toe and press a kiss lightly into his cheek. “Thank you, for being honest with me,” she said softly, the smile on her lips genuine, visually more relaxed. “I know that being honest and talking about this with me likely wasn’t ideal...but the fact that you spoke to me about it, and opened up...It’s made me exceptionally happy, and has given me hope that, no matter what, we’ll be able to be friends. Honesty was all I’d wanted, was all I’d asked for.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“See and here I thought you wanted my good looks and amazing sexual stamina,” he said with a smile though the kiss and acknowledgement felt good. “I should probably try this honesty thing more often, huh?” <br/><br/>After this talk, this reveal, he felt as if a weight was finally lifted from his chest and he was now just free. No longer did he have to hide, no longer did he have to keep himself guarded and protected, he could trust in Tempest and be honest with her.</span><br/><br/>“Oh yes, it’s all about your good looks and...did you say sexual stamina? I don’t know about that…” she joked with a grin. With a quick glance at her phone, she noted the time. “I hate to say it, but we should start walking back…If you can handle walking me back to the studio, that is. I’m not sure if your brittle hips can handle such a walk.”