"Shush! Let me speak."
She nodded.
"But the love I feel for Gabe is totally different than the way I feel about Christopher. I didn't know what love was supposed to feel like, until Christopher."
She pulled on her lip with her teeth. "How does love feel-to you, I mean?" she asked quietly, leaning her face on her fisted hands.
I thought about it. "It's like fireworks, and sleeping kittens. Cliff jumping, and reading a good book on a rainy afternoon. When I'm with him, my pulse quickens, the world shifts, and my life tips into balance. It's-It's... amazing," I finished; not exactly sure I'd done my feelings for Christopher justice. "Isn't that how you feel about Gabe?"
She wiped at her eyes.
"Are you crying?" I asked softly. "Did I say something wrong? I swear I'm happy you and Gabe are together."
She shook her head. "No. I guess knowing how you feel for Christopher makes me happy. You deserve goodness. Happiness. And if Christopher gives you fireworks and sleeping kittens, then I'm all for it."
"And you and Gabe?" I prodded. If she didn't feel that way for him, then I felt terrible.
"I'm in love with him, Snow. And I know he loves me too. The problem is, he takes his role as chayot leader seriously. And it gets in the way of us. Sometimes, when we're together, I feel like he's thinking about work, chayot problems. And I wonder if he'd rather be with them-other chayot-than be with me." She sniffled, and I patted her shoulder.
"I don't think so. Maybe you should talk to him, explain how you feel?" I definitely wasn't one to be giving relationship advice.
Cindy nodded. "I should. I will." She took a deep breath. "Now, with regards to your problems, dear friend. The truth is, you have none. A completely gorgeous vampire wants in your pants. He loves you, and you love him. I see no downside."
I reddened at her blunt words. It excited me to think Christopher wanted me in that way, made me feel desirable. But it was such a big step; at least it seemed like it to me. I mean sex. Ugh. I was beyond conflicted.
"What?" she asked, and I could tell she worked hard not to laugh.
"It's... I'm so nervous. What if we do it, and everything changes?"
She nodded. "Everything will change. For sure, but it'll be a good change. I promise."
After what she'd said about her and Gabe, I wondered if the changes between the two of them were good. "You and Gabe..." I trailed off. I couldn't bring myself to ask.
For the first time ever, Cindy blushed. "The first time was awkward." A large, genuine smile spread over her face. "But he's my one and only," she said, and bit down on her lip. She seemed lost in another time. I watched her, and sensed a contented peace settle over her. "My mother always said to wait until I found the right guy. Of course I thought she was old-fashioned. A complete dinosaur when it came to sexuality. So I did what I wanted." She wound one of her fingers in her hair. "Turns out, my mom is a lot smarter than I gave her credit for."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but don't tell her that." She snickered. "Make sure you want to-that you're all in-heart, mind and soul. Because once you give Miss Virginia away, she aint never coming back." She tapped my knee with a finger.
"Miss Virginia?" I asked, totally confused.
"Virgin-eee-aaaaaa," she said slowly, sarcastically.
I colored, and we both laughed, falling onto our sides.
Cindy wiped at her eyes, her face serious. "And even if you love him, it's not like there's a law that says you have to have sex with him... well, unless you're married, then there might be a law." She paused. "Holy hot guy on a vampire girl. Please say you aren't getting married."
"What? No." I slapped her leg, and sat up. "That didn't even cross my mind."
But has the idea of marriage crossed Christopher's, my inner voice cooed.
She gazed at me perceptively. "I'd better be the first to know when it happens. There are ways I can make sure." She winked.
"Like how? A spell?" I giggled. She was crazy. I was eighteen. No wedding bells for years. Graduation from college came first. Plus, there was another little item. The whole me-being-the-Seal-and-destined-to-restore-magic issue.
Cindy climbed off the bed, and grabbed a book from her backpack. It was her spell book. The one with the eye of Abernathy on it. "See this," she asked.
"Yeah?" I responded nervously.
She crossed her legs again. "There's a spell we can cast to make him ask you to marry him."
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ears. "I don't want to make him do anything, Cin."
She sighed, casually flipping through the pages. "Fine." Then she leaned forward so her lips were next to my ear. "I found a spell to take us to Abernathy."
Shocked, I said, "You didn't?"
"I did," she scolded, leaning back. "I can take us there right now if you want."
"No way."
She placed her book on her legs, and her hands on her hips. "Do you want me to prove it, Snow Merryweather White?" A firm line tightened her lips, and her brow was furrowed.
"Like with magic?" I verified.
"Like, I set some things up, say a spell, and poof, we'll be at Abernathy's."
"You know he lives in a cave, right? With bats? He also breathes fire. And he's huge. You understand all of that, right?" I crossed my arms, but a part of me was excited. If her and I went with magic, we could be there and back tonight.
Her face screwed up with concerned horror. She glanced at her off the shoulder pink shirt with the word, Merde, written across the front. With one hand she brushed her hands down her black jeans, and black boots. "A smelly cave? How cliche."
I hid a smile. She wasn't worried about bats or the fire breathing dragon, but whether her clothes got ruined.
A moment later, her eyes, so familiar to mine, twinkled. "You wanna go?"
I made an instant decision. "Definitely."
Chapter 8
Cindy pulled fourteen thick, white candles from her backpack. They smelled of vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg-a combination that reminded me of my mother's oatmeal. We placed them on the carpet next to my bed in the shape of a seven-pointed star.