Writer in the Dark - J. HALE

36 - ꜱᴜʀᴘʀɪꜱᴇ

THE VICTORIA hunting/scoping out of Bella's empty house pulled up no signs of her. An aggravated Athena, decided to put all of her feelings into sugar cookies. She would usually go out into the forest for this sort of catharsis, to throw rocks or look at the trees for a while, but something pulled her towards staying in the house. Plus she had some butter that would go out of date soon if she didn't use it anyway. So, to calm the thoughts in her mind, she baked while listening to music in her headphones.

The soft hum of a preheating oven added to the array of sounds that fully distracted her mind from the looming threat that could quite possibly be outside her window. Her senses weren't fully muffled by the distractions so she heard the clattering that came from upstairs. A clattering that did not sound like something falling from a shelf due to the breeze that flowed through the open window. The window that she always forgot to lock. It wasn't that she was frightened about what had just come through her window but more intrigued. If someone hadn't known she left it unlocked, no one would notice that it was open due to the tree that covered it. So the intrigue that someone had made the decision to climb through that window all the while knowing it existed built in her mind. She listened intently and turned to figure out who they were based on their scent. It was one that she recognised yet she could not place it. It was as if a part of her didn't want to believe that the person she thought it was truly was there. But then another part of her yearned for it to be true.

As the slow and quiet footsteps got closer, she gripped the rolling pin tighter in hand. It was a reflex action that she could not figure out herself. She didn't even have the time to contemplate that thought because when the person who had climbed through the window came into vision, her mind stopped completely. She met the eyes first, the gorgeous golden brown eyes that softened their intensity as the two of them wordlessly stared at the other - just taking in the sight of the person they had been thinking about constantly since the day he left. The corner of her lips tugged up into a smile that he soon mirrored, relief flooding through his system.

"Hi," she spoke softly, pulling her headphones down so they rested on her shoulders with one hand. The other was still clasped around the rolling pinpointed towards him. The sound of her voice relaxed the tension in his shoulders that had built to insane levels over a few months.

"Why do you have a rolling pin?" he asked with a light chuckle that bought a certain flipping to her stomach. Right now, Athena didn't really know what to feel. Immense relief and wanting to hug him took up some of her emotions but the rest of them were just plain confused.

She shrugged, turning the rolling pin over in her hand. "A dangerous creature entered my house, through the window. A creepy move Hale. Why do you smell different?"

He looked her up and down with a soft flick of his eyes and she smiled as the famous smirk she had pictured in her head for days appeared in front of her. "I knocked, you didn't answer but I could hear you in here so I got concerned. And you were going to fight me off with a rolling pin... You're a vampire."

She shrugged, the corner of her lip quirking upward. "I like to dabble in mortal weaponry upon occasion." She paused as she raised the rolling pin to a more defensive position. She pulled a fakely serious face and continued, "Now, answer the question."

He chuckled, "I don't have the answer. It could have something to do with where I've been for the past few months."

"Few months?" she scoffed softly, trying to hide it behind the grateful smile that crossed her lips. It felt like years, years that all blurred into one like the rest of her existence had. The smile dropped from her face and hopefulness poured from her eyes as she met his gaze again. "How long are you staying?" she asked quietly, hoping that the answer would be one that she liked.