Chapter 207

Tessa’s POV

My heart broke from his words. I stared at him with a gaping mouth, unsure of what to say and what to do.

He looked troubled as he stared at the ground; a darkness I didn’t recognize clouded his vision and it gave me a chill down my spine.

I pressed my lips together until they formed a thin line; I wasn’t confident I could keep my emotions in check. I had to get out of there before I lost it.

Without another word, I grabbed my clothes off the sink and stormed out of the bathroom, leaving Joseph to stand alone with his thoughts.

As soon as I was in the bedroom, I dropped the towel on the floor and started to put on my pajamas. I hadn’t realized Joseph had come into the room until his warmth clouded over me.

I shook him away from me, not wanting to feel him right now because I knew as soon as he touched me, the anger would fade away and I would be puddy in his hands once again.

“Tessa, come on,” he said, sighing. “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then how exactly did you mean it, Joseph?” I asked through my teeth. “You said it yourself; you don’t need me.”

“I meant I don’t need you as a bloodslave,” he breathed.

He was watching me as I grabbed my suitcase and started shoving my clothes into it. I wasn’t sure where I was going considering he was my ride. But I figured maybe Anna would let me stay with her until Joseph was ready to take me home.

Or maybe I could get Carter to take me home.”

“What are you doing?” Joseph asked, his brows knitting together.

“Leaving,” I muttered without looking at him.

He stepped closer to me, paling his hand over the suitcase and preventing me from adding anything else to it.

“Move, Joseph,” I begged, hating how weak I sounded.

“Not until you talk to me,” he said in a low and incredibly sexy voice. He was calm and all traces of annoyance and anger were gone from him.

“Fine,” I murmured, meeting his eyes. “What do you want to say?”

“I love you,” he said in a hushed whisper, closing the gap between us as he wrapped his arms around me. “I need you and I want you.”

I allowed myself to relax into him, breathing him in.

“I don’t drink blood and if I had you as a bloodslave, in order to keep your sanity, I’d have to drink from you,” he explained.

I furrowed my brows together as I looked up at him.

“Keep my sanity?” I asked, confused.

He nodded, that darkness returning to his eyes but only for a moment.

“Bloodslaves who aren’t used will eventually go crazy. It’s happened before,” he answered. “I don’t want that kind of life for you, Tessa. You aren’t a Juicebox.”

I nodded, but I was left with disappointment and sadness.

“Why is it so important to you?” He then asked.

I was taken aback by his question and honestly, I wasn’t sure how to answer that question. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and his touch sent a jolt of electricity through my body.

“Because my forever isn’t long enough,” I finally whispered. “I want an eternity with you, not just a lifetime. And plus, look at me, Joseph. I’m getting older.”

Joseph furrowed his brows together and he looked genuinely confused.

“Tessa, you are beautiful,” he breathed. “What are you talking about?”

“You are attracted to me right now. But you won’t be when I’m much older. You’ll still be the young and hot man that you are right now. I’ll be ancient. Will you still love me when I’m 80?”

His face softened and I swear I saw a hint of humor in his eyes. Before I could say something in response to that look, he held me tighter and spoke in such a low tone that I knew they were only for my ears.

“When you look in the mirror, you see your physical features and you think that’s all anyone sees. But that’s not the case; at least not with me. Because when look at you, I don’t just see the beautiful woman that you are. I see the things that make you laugh when you think nobody is watching. I see the things that make you cry and the pain you’ve endured. I see the things that fascinate you and hold your attention. Your heart and the love it holds. Your mind and all the wisdom that comes with it. I see your smile and that little light in your eyes when you’re passionate about something. I can’t forget about your love for pop-tarts, I see that as well.”

His last sentence made me chuckle through my tears.

“I love you for everything that you are. Your looks have nothing to do with how I feel about you. With every new wrinkle that appears on your face, it’s just something more to love.”

He cupped my face in his hands, allowing his warmth and energy to surge through my body.

“I love you too,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his body.

He held me for a long while and I’m not really sure how long we stood like that. But eventually, we transferred to the bed.

We didn’t have sex; we were both too tired. It was dawn and the sun was desperately trying to break through the closed curtains and blinds. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep because the sun was awake, but I found my eyes growing heavy the longer we lay in bed together.

We talked for a little bit. We decided to head back to the city tonight and drive overnight. This time tomorrow morning, I’ll be back in my own bed; thank goodness.

When we woke up in the evening time, we spent some time packing our things and making breakfast. After we ate and showered, we went to Anna and Bernard’s house where Nathan and Carter were hanging out. I was glad to see them all in one place because I wanted to say goodbye to everybody before, we left for the city.

“I hope you come back to see us soon,” Anna said, wrapping her arms around me and hugging me tightly. “You are always welcome here, Tessa.”

“Yeah, you’ve proved yourself trustworthy,” Bernard said, patting me on the back. “Don’t be a stranger.”

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes hearing him say this.

“Thanks,” I said fondly. “That means a lot.”

Bernard turned to Joseph and the two of them started their own conversation that I paid no attention to.

Carter gave me a sheepish smile, which didn’t reach his eyes. He was still looking a bit pale and worn out. I could tell there was something wrong and he didn’t actually answer my question yesterday about whether or not he was okay. He kind of brushed it off and then everything happened at once.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked him, concerned lacing my voice.

He nodded and then hugged me quickly.

“I’m good,” he said, forcing another smile. “Thanks for the company. Sorry, I got you in trouble though.”

I shook my head, waving away his apology.

“I’m glad I went with you,” I said sincerely. “Thank you for taking me.”

He nodded, staring down at his feet.

He was having trouble looking me in the eyes. This was odd for Carter; from what I’ve known about him so far, he didn’t seem like the shy type. He was always vocal and looked me in the eyes when he spoke to me.

But he seemed almost beaten down.

“Want me to relay any messages to Ruby?” I asked, corking an eyebrow.

He tensed at my question, but he didn’t look at me still.

“No,” he muttered. He must have sensed my concern because he added, “I’ll just call her later.”

Before I could say anything, Joseph wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him.

“We should go so we can get back before sunrise,” Joseph said, kissing the top of my head.

I nodded, but my eyes remained on Carter.

Something was wrong and I had a feeling Ruby was involved.

I figured I should drop the subject for now and went around the room for final goodbyes. I even hugged Nathan, who I really haven’t spoken to that much.

Once we were done, we left and began our journey back to the city.

The ride was long, and I was in and out of sleep for most of it. Joseph kept his hand on my lap, and I played with his fingers for most of the ride. I only released him when my phone started to ring.

I was wondering who was calling at such an odd hour and frowned when I saw Ruby’s name flashing across the screen.

“Hey, Rubes,” I said, answering the phone. “Why are you calling so late?”

There was silence on the other end for a moment and I swear I heard her sniffling. It almost sounded like she was crying.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” She asked, her voice coming out soft.

“No,” I answered quickly. “We are actually heading back to the city right now.”

“Oh, cool!” She said, perking up. “Did you see your grades yet? You never called me back.”

“Sorry, I’ve been a little busy. But yeah, I saw my grades. Looks like we are both graduating.”

I pulled my phone away from my ear as Ruby squealed excitedly.

“That’s amazing, Tess!” She said happily. “We have to celebrate!”

I didn’t really want to do anything too crazy, but I did really want to see my best friend.

“What did you have in mind?” I dared to ask.

“Get your best dress ready for tomorrow night,” she said happily, and I knew without looking at her that she had a sly smile on her face.

“Where are we going tomorrow night?” I urged.

“We are going clubbing, Bitch!”