“If you’re worried about hurting me emotionally, then don’t. You … can’t, really. I’ve been all those places,” she looked down, picking at the grass, “heard every possible hurtful thing. If it’s about the vampirism … I think the only person who can ease your mind on that is yourself. I mean, so long as you can’t accidentally turn me, I don’t really care. Other than that, just don’t lie to me, and we’re good.”
Victor’s head snapped up and his eyes were hopeful. “I’m sorry you’ve been to all of those places and if you’re willing to put up with me….I’d love to be with you.”
He had a distant look in his eyes for a moment then he turned to her. “It’s impossible for it to happen accidentally. Even if I bit you, you wouldn’t turn. You’d have to drink my blood…So long as I don’t feed you blood, which I don’t see happening…” He stopped realizing he was rambling like an idiot. “It just could never happen on accident.”
“Be with me?” Summer’s voice went up on a squeak. “You want to … but I’m not — I mean, you’re too … um.” She was trying to hide a shy, surprised smile, ducking her head. “I thought we were still talking about being friends,” she murmured.
Victor blushed, something he rarely did. “Well….umm..I..ahh…” For the first time in a long time he was at a loss for words. “Well, uh, you had said something about wanting to be more than friends..? And I’m too what? You’re not what?” He was worried now that he’d gone too far and in the wrong direction.
“… I expected you to say no to that. It’s the way my life is.” Summer pulled up some more grass, hair falling around her face. “Honestly, Victor, nobody wants to be with someone who can truly tell if they’re lying. I know you say different, but I’m just not really a likable person. At least most people don’t seem to think so.” She glanced back up, through the waves of red hair. “That’s not a ‘no,’ by the way. It’s more of a ‘I don’t understand what you’re thinking’.”
Victor smirked and moved his hand near her’s, not quite touching but nearly there. “Well I have this habit of defying expectations and I’m determined to prove it to you.” He smiled then looked back up at the night sky. “Even before I was a vampire I knew I could read body language very well, it made most of my relationships impossible and a lot of them didn’t work out because I saw the deception but let it go.” He shrugged a bit then. “I’m thinking I want to be with you, we both have our own baggage but so long as it isn’t a no then I’m happy.”
“And just how do you plan to prove it to me?” she teased lightly.