Blood Bound

Chapter 31: Idle chats and planning

This is the best I've felt in days. I'm full. I'm calm and there's no visible threat around me. That I know of, at least.

André has been sitting with me all day, listening to my stories. I've only told him things I did with my family, staying clear off my recent activities. No need to make him lose his appetite.

"What about your friend?" André asks, coming from the kitchen with hot cups of delicious coffee. "The one who's sleeping?"

My stomach jolts uncomfortably. "You mean Sophie? What about her?" I ask sharply, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, how do you guys know each other?"

"From junior high," I reply, sighing with relief inwardly even though that uncomfortable jolt hasn't left my stomach. I don't know how much I can reveal about her to him, especially since he's not a Sangue.

"Wow, that's pretty long," André whistles.

"Not really," I contradict him. "She moved away when we were freshmen in high school and we met again a few months ago."

"You didn't keep in touch?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

I look down at my cup of coffee, eyes downcast. "No," I reply. "Her stepdad worked in sales so they moved around a lot. We wrote letter to each other at first but they stopped coming eventually."

"Not much of a friend, in my opinion," André says bluntly, taking a sip.

"Well, she had her reasons," I counter with a grimace.

"Which were?" he inquires, his expression sceptical.

Crap. I can't tell him that. But I feel like I shouldn't lie to him either, now that we're hitting it off. I hesitate before answering. "I guess she probably met other people who shared her interests better than I did."

"So you don't have anything in common?"

I consider this. To be honest, Sophie and I are like night and day. There isn't much that we liked to do together, except maybe watch thrillers and horror movies. But we didn't do much of that during our limited time together when we were young. However, I do think of one thing.

"I think both of us are outsiders," I say in contemplation. "We don't really fit in today's society or at least what society expects of us. But it doesn't matter if we don't have anything in common. I enjoy being in her company and I think she feels the same way."

André smirks. "Opposites attract, huh?"

I shrug. "Maybe."

We smile at each other. However, the fullness of my stomach has made me drowsy and I let out a huge yawn.

"I'm sorry," I apologize, covering my mouth.

"It's alright," André chuckles. "You're tired. You shouldn't have to force yourself to stay awake if you're exhausted. I'd take a nap if I were you."

He stands from the table, picking up the dirty dishes and puts them in dishwasher. I am tired, that's true, and getting a bit more sleep would probably help my sleep deprivation and I'd feel more rested by the time Sophie would wake up. More rest equals more alert and ready to face off whatever comes at us. I rise from the breakfast nook table and I feel now how sore my legs are. They're like lead, heavy and hard, and refuse to take another step. I stifle my groans.

"Thank you for making lunch for me," I say gratefully to André who grins and nods his head at me.

"Don't mention it," he says, waving his hand dismissively. "Now, get some sleep. I'll see you in the evening."