“Hmm, the last concert I went to was The Cure—and they wereah-may-zing.”
“Yes, I’ve seen them live,” I declared. “And I agree. When they played ‘The Forest’ live, it blew my mind. Never thought it could sound that phenomenal.”
“I remember them playing that,” she agreed. “Did you see them in Boston?”
“No, it was at least five years ago, when I lived in Vegas. I only moved to Salem a year-and-a-half ago.”
“Ah.” She tapped her index fingers together. “Maybe we should say we met at their concert in Boston.”
“That works.” That question might never come up, but at least we had a story if it did.
We shared more about each other, even delving into topics that would likely never come up, such as our favorite colors—hers blue, mine forest green.
Nova was easy to talk to, and I enjoyed getting to know more about her.
She crossed her legs and then uncrossed them before she leaned forward. “I should probably ask what happened with you and your ex, if that’s okay.”
The good times threatened to crash to a halt. My tongue thickened and an acrid taste filled my mouth. “Yes, that makes sense.”
She adjusted in her seat. “Oh, it seems like it’s not something you want to talk about.”
“It isn’t, but you’re right, you should know,” I clarified. Before I came off as morose once more, I spat it out. “We were engaged.”
Nova slanted her head. “What happened?”
I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled with a whoosh. “Perhaps I should start at the beginning.”
Her eyes were wide and full of understanding as she waited patiently for me to continue.
“I met Diana almost three years ago and was instantly smitten. She was worldly and beautiful and glamorous. I couldn’t believe someone like her would dream of being with someone like me—even if she was a vampire. I was utterly naive. Because I believed in her and I believed in us, no matter what the cost.” I snorted. “In some romantic delusion, I agreed to become immortal to be with her.” One hand curled into a fist. “A colossal mistake.”
“We all make mistakes.”
“But sometimes the toll is life-changing.” With a sour snort, I added, “In my case, life ending.”
She slanted her head and asked, “Is that why you became a vampire? To be with your ex?”
“Love sucks. Yeah, Yeah.” I sang my variation of the J. Geils song.
“Sounds like it,” Nova agreed. “What happened with her? Did she just walk away?”
I pictured her leaving with her new lover, the familiar pain cutting into me. “Yes.” The back of my neck tightened, and I stretched the muscles to each side. “She told me she loved me and that it would be us against the world.” I shook my head. “Nope. I was one of many. She had other lovers whom she strung along. Others whose hearts she broke. It’s like she thrives on causing anguish.”
Nova was quiet for some time before she pushed her shoulders back. “Screw her, Diego. She sounds like a heartless nightmare. She took a lot from you, but we won’t let her take anything else. We’ll show her that you’ve moved on and she didn’t break you.” Nova’s expression appeared full of determination and hope.
My voice caught when I spoke. “But what if she did?”
Nova exhaled and covered her heart. “Then you find a way to put yourself back together.”
Nova’s optimism stirred a lightness in my chest. Could she infuse me with hope? I feared it might be too late for me. When she fell asleep beside me on the sofa an hour later while we watched the movie, her chest rose and fell in long, slow movements. In sleep, she appeared younger and more relaxed, so different from that haunted expression she wore in the kitchen. It didn’t help that I’d scared the crap out of her—again.
Sebastian was right. I really needed to work on my social skills, especially around her.
For the moment, I was content to just sit beside her while the movie played. She might wake up confused about where she was—or have another terrifying nightmare—so I’d stay nearby to make sure she was okay. I’d seen the film a few times and didn’t have to pay attention to the plot, which was good since my focus was on Nova.
Shadow, Lucas’s cat, came downstairs. He often joined me at night since I was the only one up.
After petting him, I glanced at Nova. Was she cold? I reached behind myself as slow as possible to grab an afghan. I covered her, moving slowly, so as not to disturb her, and then relaxed into the sofa cushions.
