The Beautiful Monster

Alyssa stared at herself in the bathroom mirror one room away from Elias, who was getting ready for bed.

Dinner with his family went well. They talked about how he was a hyper troublemaker in his youth but how he mellowed out with age.

He was an only child, so he had to figure out ways to entertain himself.

Once he reached his teenage years, he turned into a driven, smart person. Now, he was a successful businessman just like his father.

She told them about her time at the hospital and all the schooling that she went through.

They seemed thoroughly impressed by her and promised to recommend her if they knew anyone\'s child who needed help.

She could tell that they cared about Elias, and they showed that by keeping a close eye on him.

A particularly close eye. She wondered if he did something when he was younger that prompted them to watch him so closely.

Even if there was some tension between them, Alyssa was impressed with the man that Elias had become.

He handled his business and also his personal business to the best of his ability. She knew that he was dealing with a lot.

So was she. They were too frazzled, busy people, who kept finding their way back to each other. It was strange how their paths kept crossing.

She wondered if that was a sign for something. She was afraid to think that it was because it would just make everything even more complicated than it already was.

She felt so drawn to him, but a part of her tried to push him away. She was afraid of more bad things happening to her because of her ties to him, but it was so hard to completely pull away from him.

He had been a part of her heart and soul once. That wasn\'t a hole that was easy to patch.

Alyssa turned away from the mirror, adjusting her large t-shirt and sleep shorts before walking back into Elias\' bedroom. It was twice the size of her old childhood bedroom.

His walls were painted a dark grey color. His queen-sized bed had dark red sheets, while his desk and dresser were black. He also had a walk-in closet.

What really caught her eye was the old books on a shelf nailed above his desk. He had a lot of old trinkets that she suspected his parents gifted him.

"You have a nice room," she told him as she stood by the bed awkwardly.

Elias looked over from hooking his phone up to a charger at his desk.

"Thanks. A little goth in here," he chuckled as he glanced around at his old décor.

"I think it\'s fitting," Alyssa replied. She had always saw him as the dark, mysterious type. Finding out that he was a supernatural being just proved her point even more. She moved to sit on the edge of the right side of the bed, deciding that she could take that side. She used to sleep on his right.

Elias smirked at her, shaking his head as he lifted the dark red covers before slipping under them. He laid on his back, propping his upper half up on a few pillows. He turned his head to gaze at her.

"Are you okay? Is this too weird?" he asked her, looking concerned.

Alyssa told herself to get over herself. She could sleep in the same bed as him and be fine. She was making too big of a deal out of this. 

"It\'s fine," she assured him before getting under the covers too. She made sure to lay closer to her side so that half a foot of distance was between their bodies. It was dangerous getting any closer.

She didn\'t want to feel… old feelings. The ones that lingered in the back of her mind still. "So, your parents think we\'re back together?"

A sheepish look crossed his face.

"Well… I told them that I wanted you back, that I missed you," Elias explained to her. "I guess they assumed that I asked you out."

"You didn\'t," Alyssa said. She mentally shook her head at herself. She didn\'t know why she said that.

Maybe she was wanting to know more of his thoughts. Why hadn\'t he asked yet if he still had feelings for her? Then again, she hadn\'t been the friendliest toward him.

Elias\' face softened a little as his eyes met hers.

"There\'s been a lot going on. You have your whole life ahead of you. I would just slow you down.

My drama is already doing that," Elias said with a faint smile. "I want you to succeed like you were doing before we found each other again."

For some reason, his words made Alyssa sad. It sounded like he was giving up on the possibility of them being together again.

Maybe she didn\'t want him to give up. Maybe it would be best if he did. She wasn\'t sure. Nothing was clear to her before her feelings were twisted up in knots.

"The vampire attacking me might not even have anything to do with you," Alyssa said. Now, she was defending him, trying to shift the blame.

Even if her attacker was linked to Elias, it wasn\'t like he was ordering her attacker around. He had as much control over the situation as she did.

Elias gave her a pointed look.

"It has something to do with me. I just don\'t know what," he said as he tucked his hands under his head.

A soft sigh drifted from Alyssa as she stared up at the ceiling of Elias\' old bedroom. She felt safe here.

There were two vampires in this house that would protect her if anyone went wrong. She missed feeling this way, like someone had her back. She always felt that with Elias.

"Are you okay?" Elias asked her as he turned onto his side to face her.

Alyssa blinked her eyes a few times, realizing that they were burning. She hadn\'t even realized that she was on the verge of tears. She shook her head at herself, laughing pitifully.

"Sorry. I just… I actually feel safe here. Like someone won\'t attack me here," she told him.

Elias moved closer to her, reaching out to take her hand.

"I\'ve got you, okay? I won\'t let you out of my sight," he promised her.