Chapter 312) Teenage Dream

Walking into her room the 17 year-old girl with the long, golden blonde flood of hair winced hard, barely kept herself from screaming, as she slammed the door shut and turned the key.

“Are you nuts?!” she whisper-yelled at the dark-clad, tall figure with the long, silvery-blond locks who rose up off the bed, completely unfazed by her scolding.

“What a welcome. Comforting to know you missed me so.” his voice dripped sarcasm, but his tiny smile in the otherwise unmoved face foretold a teasing, as customary among young lovers. It was obvious that the teen girl’s unscheduled visitor was stoically calm and composed by nature, even in the most adverse conditions.

“Of course I missed you! But what if my dad had come in here instead of me?! He’d have butchered both of us and asked questions after!” Emmy gestured wildly to underline what she believed to be a barely averted drama.

“Hardly. Did you forget my heightened senses? He would have found an empty room. Now, are you going to yell at me all night or is there a REAL welcome in my future?”

With a sigh she hurried into his open arms, he caught her, pulled her up into the air with ease, as she snuggled up to him, before he kissed her in a way that would have made her knees buckle had she been standing.

“Connell, I don’t want to wait anymore! I just don’t! It’s stupid! We’re both sure about the relationship, I mean, why still wait?!” she protested.

He knew instantly what she was referring to.

“Emmy … we agreed to it. We promised. Nothing beyond kissing. A condition of your parents and mine. Well, my parents and your mom, to be exact, since your dad still hates my guts and won’t even entertain the possibility of a you and me, let alone anything else.” he told her softly, but firmly, as he sat her down onto the ground and released her from his embrace.

“Yeah, there was also a condition about no secret meetings. Yet, here you are, and something tells me you didn’t stop by the living room to say hi to my parents, who then told you to just mosey on up to my room.”

“Fair point, and all the more reason to not break any more rules. I had to break this one, my last assignment took me away from you for much too long and I just had to see you, I couldn’t wait another day until tomorrow after school. But I am only here to hold you and kiss you till both our lips are chapped, nothing more. My own parents have been surprisingly supportive of our love, but they would not approve of us crossing that final line. Not yet. I cannot disappoint them – and your mother.”

“But you have no problem disappointing me? And I thought the final line was me getting turned. I never claimed to be ready for that. But the other thing … I am ready. 100% ready.”

“Fine, that final line and the line before the final line. No physical love before you are 18, Emmy.”

“Pah, fine, you can be our parents’ darling and maybe I’ll just find a boy in my class who doesn’t have such lame rules then!” she pouted, following her ‘threat’.

“It would be his death sentence. I don’t play nice with opponents and I most definitely do not share.” he told her as serious as he could, well aware she was only bluffing.

“Aww, listen to you all vampire-y and dangerous.”

“I AM dangerous – and a vampire. Remember? Then again, all vampires are dangerous under the right circumstances. Or the wrong ones. I am just especially dangerous, by profession. You should consider that before toying with me.” he told her, his ‘threat’ just as much a bluff as hers had been.

“Good point. Maybe I should not see you anymore and find a less dangerous boy my age. Non-vampire, of course. One my dad might even wrap his head around.”

“I don’t think such a boy exists, not among your kind or mine. And it’s too late for that. You are mine, I am yours. Officially. You accepted my ring. We are betrothed.” Connell stated, trying to hide the smile being near Emmy always put on his face.

“What the hell is ‘betrothed’? I thought we’re engaged, even though of course THAT is pretty much secret only you, me and our parents know, then again, so are you. I have the most droolworthy fiancé, and nobody knows! Sometimes I feel like that kid with the imaginary friend. Not even my siblings know about you and I tell my brother and sister EVERYTHING, after all, we’re triplets! Funny how everybody feels I am mature enough to keep all those secrets and understand why we have to, but I am suddenly not mature enough to have my first time with my fiancé, even though most girls in my class have done it by now. Everyone but ME. Not fair.”

“You are not like most girls, Emmy. You are special. VERY special. Especially to me. And our time will come, and it will be worth the wait.”

“Oh, right, thanks ‘dad’.”

“Hm. Speaking of dad, mine invited you to Vatore Castle for an official meeting, so I can introduce you to my grandfather Caleb and grandmother Breana. It’s a great honor, at least among my kind. Very special.”

“Oh boy. Isn’t that something you would usually invite the girl’s parents to as well?”

“If you think your father would come … or let your mom go alone to Forgotten Hollow. I am more than willing to invite them, but can’t see it happening.”

“Right. Probably not. Let’s just not even mention it then. If I tell dad I am going to Forgotten Hollow to an old castle, he’d have a stroke, a coronary and a cow simultaneously. He’s still against our relationship, which sucks. He and I used to get along so well, we never once fought in all the 17 years he’s been my dad, but now it’s almost a daily thing. He just doesn’t want to get it, he’s not even trying, just dug in his heels, totally stubborn. Well, when is it? The meeting, I mean. And what do I wear to something like that? I mean, I know your parents and grandparents are kind of a big deal and this whole castle thing … I don’t exactly have fancy clothing but want to at least not embarrass you and be presentable. The fanciest thing I own is my junior prom dress. Not sure they would be impressed by sequins and rhinestones on a Forever 21 number.”

“This coming Saturday. And you would be presentable in a potato sack. Just wear one of your pretty sundresses that make you look like a doll. I like you best in those.”

“Doll? I have dresses that make me look like a doll?! I don’t want to look like a doll! I want to look sophisticated, feminine, beautiful and maybe a little sexy and … hmph.”

Connell had enough of talking and her mild freakout, so he just grabbed her and sealed her lips with a kiss, long and longing. Breathless, when they finally separated, Emmy told him

“You REALLY make it hard for me to want to try to keep that promise. You have no idea! I might be the only teenage girl trying to convince her total teenage dream boyfriend to have their first time. I think normally it’s the other way around. Why can’t we just be normal?”

“I DO know how difficult it is. Believe you me, Emmy, there is nothing, not a single thing in this entire universe I would rather do than … well … THAT with you. But I gave my word and intend to keep it. As my grandmother would say, the harvest reaped from patience is all the sweeter.”

“I will be the oldest virgin in all of Windenburg. Why did I have to fall for a vampire? Your rules and ways are so … complicated. Ha, had you told me two years ago I would actually date a vampire I would have fallen over laughing. Not ever, not me. Ha, yet, here we are.”

“Makes two of us. I never thought it would be a mortal girl who steals my heart. That was never something that crossed my mind even once. I meant to remain alone and unwed for a long time, if and when I finally change that, I was convinced it would be someone like me, because I watched other mixed species couples and all their complications because of it. Yet, look at us now. Both didn’t get what we thought we would, but I would not trade it for the world.”

“Me either. Fine, we’ll be good and go by our parents idiotic rules. If we ever become parents, we won’t forget how this felt and we’ll treat our children like real people at this age. We’ll be cool parents. Understanding and woke.”

“No, we won’t. We’ll be just like our parents, because we’ll worry and want to protect our children, just like they do.”

“Currently REALLY hating the vampire part. Are all of you like this?”

“Like what? Reasonable? Law-abiding? Disciplined? Yes, we are, otherwise your kind would be in grave danger. Those who aren’t, usually end up on my father’s and my list, sooner or later.”

“Are you really THAT dangerous?”

“Yes Emmy, I can be. We all can be, my angel, which makes another reason why I never thought I would date a mortal. I find them frail, and know having them among my kind always bears a small chance of danger for them. It’s no joke. But fear not. As you noticed, we all are very much in control at all times. And once you have been officially introduced as my betrothed, no vampire in their right mind would dare touch you or any member of your family. And while we both agree to wait with any weddings, a very important decision for you to make will be our family color. I am sure my grandfather will talk to you about all this in great lengths, but each branch of our family has their own signature color, specific to them, chosen upon marriage by the bride, who then will be given a precious medallion. I am sure you have seen my mother’s. Our color is purple, but mine will be whatever you chose, my angel.”

“No pressure, right? I think I may choose pink. Nice, bright, Pepto-Bismol Barbie pink. You’ll be so pretty in pink, you scary vampire you. Your targets may just die laughing, saving you effort.” Emmy joked and giggled at Connell’s face. Emmy’s favorite color was blue-green, reflected all over her room, so she would choose something like that, but messing with the boyfriend was too hard to pass up on.