Regal Renegades

Chapter 9

Daniel's POV:

The days dragged on with a misery unknown to me.

A void new to my mind dug itself a hole and hasn't left me alone since.

Not a day went by where she didn't consume my thoughts for nearly hours at a time.

During meals with my parents or Zeke, during times when I needed to get work done for the territory after I'd lay down to sleep, and immediately when I'd wake up again.

It was a longing that didn't make sense. Something that I'd never felt after my typical nights out like that.

I knew she was different. I wouldn't at all pair her with the rest, but it had become more than clear that I severely underestimated just how deep into me she'd gotten herself.

It followed me all the way to my next Thursday night.

One where I wasn't at all feeling the experience how I usually did. The woman didn't interest me, the crowd wasn't nearly as enticing or inviting. I found myself watching the door through conversation with my friend more than anything, waiting and hoping that somehow she managed to come back so soon.

None of it got better through the next week. In fact, I think it slowly got worse and worse day by day.

The longing grew deeper, the thoughts of her becoming more frequent.

Memories of her laugh, her smile, the soft yet assured feel of her hand in mine. Just... everything. I'd recounted every single second of our short interactions multiple times by now just to get by.

By the Thursday after that, Zeke suggested doing something else instead to clear my mind, but I told him I had to be there.

I couldn't risk missing her. I told her I'd be there whenever she could make it, so it was there that I had to be no matter what.

She wasn't there then either, and I spent that night the same as the last one.

I felt completely at a loss, and of course, Zeke was the only one I had to spill my woes to. He'd listened to me for hours through these weeks, just talking and reminiscing and questioning why these things were happening.

I'd trapped him again, me sprawled out on one couch of this living area and him sitting neatly on the one across from it.

He wore that same little smirk he took on every time I talked about her.

One that I once felt was somewhat patronizing until I sensed that it was coming from someplace else.

"I just don't... get it," I whispered, staring hopelessly up at the high ceiling.

"Uhhu. You've said that fifteen times before," Zeke replied.

I rubbed a hand down my face with a long groan.

"And I still don't have an answer!" I retorted, just barely catching him roll his eyes at my display, "I mean how did she just- I only got to know her for a day and now she's all I can think about."

"A day was all it took for you with her then. It was enough for you to get attached."

"I don't get 'attached', " I lied to myself.

I've never gotten attached was what I truly meant.

I never had a reason or a drive to. It was never something I sought out on nights like those.

She was something else. A mystery I wanted to unfold and learn every detail of.

"We're vampires, dude," He deadpanned, "Our instincts are designed to get attached like this with those that entice us. She just so happened to do that to you in such a short amount of time."