February 17 | Monday #14
Will let out a shaky breath and ended the call.
He went upstairs to get another look at the intruder from a more comfortable distance.
But there was no sign of the demon, which only made Will more nervous.
He started running around the house, checking every window and door to make sure there was no way the thing could have gotten inside.
When a knock sounded at the door a few minutes later, he was so frazzled he almost screamed. He took a few deep breaths and went to the entryway to let in his newly arrived help.
It was Blake.
“What are you doing here?” Will asked, astonished.
“What do you think?” Alden snorted.
“I would have preferred Liam,” Will said honestly. That’s who Will had expected when Norma mentioned she would send someone.
Blake gave him an indignant look.
“Liam is busy,” he announced haughtily. “And you don’t get to choose who graciously comes to your rescue.”
Will had to force himself not to roll his eyes. Besides, after a moment’s thought, he concluded that his words really hadn’t sounded right. Blake or not, what mattered was that he wasn’t alone.
“Where is this demon?” Blake asked.
“It was right in front of the house. I saw it from the living room and bedroom windows. It’s gone now, so it’s probably hiding somewhere nearby.”
“It’s not. I checked.”
“Then I guess it left,” Will said with a shrug, but when he noticed Blake glancing toward the door, he added hastily, “B-But it might come back! I’m sure now that I’ve seen it before, in the woods.”
Alden gave him a skeptical look.
“If you have something to say, just say it,” Will said defensively, knowing full well what Blake was thinking.
“A lot has happened lately. Norma shouldn’t have involved you in demon business right after you were almost murdered. Maybe your emotions are just getting the better of you?”
“I’m telling the truth, Blake.”
“I’m not saying you’re lying. You don’t have to lie to be out of touch with reality.”
Will gave a sour smile. He felt like they’d had a very similar conversation before, only they’d been on opposite sides.
“This is as real as your phone call from the future. I know what I’m talking about.”
Blake studied him for another moment, then announced, “Fine. In that case, I’m staying.”
Then he walked into the living room. Will followed him.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you not understand the word staying?” Blake scoffed, sitting down on the couch.
“You mean for the night?”
“Well, not forever. Since you’re so scared, I’ll make sure you’re okay. Unless you don’t want me to.”
“I do.” Admitting it was a struggle for Will. He would have shared his feelings with Liam without a second thought, but with Blake, it was a different story.
“Good.”
A long silence fell between them.
“So… what should we do?” Will asked shyly.
“Excuse me?” Blake gave him a look of disdain.
“Should I put on a movie? Get you something to eat or drink? I don’t know,” he admitted helplessly, not wanting to be inhospitable.
“Go to sleep,” Alden instructed. “I didn’t come here to endure your company.”
“I’m supposed to sleep while you’re in my house?”
“And what’s the problem with that?”
“A major one! We barely know each other.”
“You think I’m going to rob you?” Blake sneered venomously, his gaze sweeping over the living room as if to communicate that he wouldn’t take any of the things around them even if he were paid to.
“No,” Will snarled, losing his composure. “But you did literally go through my fridge last time, so…”
“Hiding something embarrassing?” Blake interrupted him. “Because if it’s about deviant porn, I’ve seen worse, so let’s just drop this conversation, shall we?”
Will clenched his hands into fists. Alden was driving him up the wall.
“You know what, never mind,” he said gruffly, deciding there was no point in arguing. “See you tomorrow, Blake. Don’t touch my stuff.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Great!” Will snapped as he left. He had to have the last word.
He went back to his bedroom, changed into his pajamas, and got into bed, but he couldn’t fall asleep.
He tossed and turned, haunted by thoughts of Alden’s presence, until finally, after about an hour, he went downstairs on the pretext of getting a glass of water.
Will wanted to check on what Blake was up to.
The living room light was on. Peeking in cautiously, trying not to make any noise, he panicked a little when he couldn’t see Blake at first. His immediate thought was that the asshole had shamelessly abandoned him, but a moment later, Will spotted him. Blake was lying on the couch. Asleep.
The corner of Will’s mouth lifted in a pitying smile. Some protector.
He quietly went to a cabinet, took out a blanket, and draped it over Blake.
“I feel very safe,” he muttered ironically under his breath as he headed for the door.
“You should,” Alden mumbled back, and Will froze for a moment before turning to look at the vampire in amazement. He was still lying motionless with his eyes closed.
“But you’re asleep.”
“I’m keeping watch.”
“Really? Because you look like you’re asleep.”
An irritated grimace twisted Alden’s handsome face.
“I’m trying to concentrate, so stop babbling and go away, or this isn’t going to work.”
Will sighed heavily and trudged back upstairs.
Blake was incorrigible.
January 24 | Friday
Norma threw a party – the first one Will attended officially with Oscar, so he felt fantastic right from the start.
That wasn’t the only new development—Blake had graced them with his presence, which undoubtedly pleased many, especially the girls, even though Alden didn’t seem like he was there to socialize.
For the first fifteen minutes, he stuck close to Liam.
They were talking about something. Liam seemed moderately interested at best. Blake, on the other hand, was gesturing intensely, which meant the topic was stirring up a lot of emotion in him.
Will even wondered if they were talking about him, though it didn’t seem likely.
The night Blake kept watch, absolutely nothing had happened.
The next day, he had checked the area again, but there was no sign of the demon.
Will began to question what he’d seen. It had been dark, after all.
Maybe he’d seen some other, similar-looking girl who had just happened to be on his property?
It didn’t sound plausible, but it was the only explanation that let him sleep in peace.
Eventually, he stopped paying attention to Blake and focused on Oscar, and that’s when the evening became truly enjoyable. They drank, danced, talked, and generally had a great time.
About an hour and a half later, Will, a bit unsteady on his feet, climbed the stairs, hoping the upstairs bathroom would be free.
“Hey, Will!” he heard someone call. He turned to see Norma peeking out of her room. “You in?”
“For what?”
“Never Have I Ever. Come on in, I’ll explain.”
“Uh… I’m not a huge fan of those kinds of games,” Will said. To be honest, he’d rather go back downstairs and keep making out with Oscar.
“Come on, don’t make me beg!” Norma persisted. “If I managed to convince Blake, you can’t be harder to persuade!”
Will’s eyes widened. He stepped closer to her and peered into her room. Norma wasn’t bluffing. There on the floor, next to her two friends, Victoria and Sandra, sat Blake, looking like he was about to murder someone.
This could be interesting.
Will agreed. He made a quick run to the bathroom, then went to get Oscar, and a few minutes later they were both in Norma’s room. The group of players had grown—a senior named Dominic and Liam had also joined them.
“So, the rules are simple,” Norma announced once they were all sitting in a circle.
“You’ll each get twenty tokens. We’ll take turns saying something we’ve never done.
For example: Never have I ever stolen anything.
Those who can say the same do nothing, but those who can’t have to put one of their tokens aside.
Whoever loses all their tokens is out. The last one with tokens wins. ”
“Sounds interesting,” Oscar commented, placing a hand on Will’s knee.
Will gave him a small smile.
“And no lying, obviously!” Norma stipulated.
“And how do you plan on verifying that?” Blake muttered condescendingly.
“By relying on the players’ good sense,” Norma retorted sharply. “I don’t want to hear your objections, Blake,” she added quickly, seeing him open his mouth to comment.
Will snorted quietly. He guessed that Blake was the type who liked to overanalyze everything and ruin the fun. Fortunately, Blake’s further remarks were pointedly ignored, and they could finally start playing.
It was fun. Probably because most of the players had a significant amount of alcohol in their systems, so eventually, everyone was just talking nonsense and laughing loudly, not quite keeping up with what was happening.
It was only when the number of tokens began to drop drastically that their competitive spirits kicked in and they focused on the game.
“Never have I ever kissed a guy,” Dominic announced when it was his turn.
“Hey!” Will, who was down to just two tokens, protested. “That’s totally below the belt!”
“Yeah,” Norma, in the same situation, sullenly agreed.
Besides them, Oscar, Norma’s two friends, and… Liam also discarded a token. Will looked at him in surprise, and Liam just smiled broadly and winked at him.
The battle was fierce, though it had been one-sided for a while. Norma was the first to be eliminated, with Will right behind her, and the rest dropped out soon after.
“Blake won by being an antisocial asshole!” Norma declared to everyone. “Congratulations!”
Alden gave her a haughty look and muttered something about pathetic games for losers, but as he stood up, a satisfied smirk played on his lips. For some reason, Will found that incredibly amusing.
But when they went back downstairs, something else was on his mind. At one point, while Oscar was busy talking to Amy Smith, Will spotted Liam standing alone in the kitchen and immediately went over to him.