Wanderlust (5 page)

Neither Addie nor I acknowledged his statement. Holding our menus in a way that hid our faces from Eli’s view, we made faces at each other in mockery of his words. We had time to kill while Eli made up his mind. We didn’t need to look at the menu. When the server came round to take our order, Addie and I blurted our overly-enthusiastic response in unison.

“The deep-fried Mars bar, please.”

“And…”

“That’s all,” I said, ready to burst with excitement at the mere thought of the chocolaty goodness melting in my mouth. “Oh, except, we’ll each have a Fanta to drink.”

“No ice,” Addie added , flashing her pearly whites and flipping her long sandy-blond hair over her shoulder. Noting our appraising looks, she raised her palms and gave a small shrug. “What? I have sensitive teeth.”

Despite having been best friends for longer than I could remember, this was the first time I had heard of her dental affliction. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

“So, where to next?” Eli asked hopefully.

“We should definitely check out some of the street vendors and buskers,” Addie informed us. “And, there’s a ton of shops I want to go into up the street.”

At the news that there would be more shopping, Eli’s shoulders sagged. He didn’t say a word in opposition of the plan, but his dejection was palpable. I gave him a barely there smile, hoping Addie wouldn’t notice.

Addie was hard to handle at the best of times, and I had years of practice. In a matter of minutes, her mood could swing from incredibly upbeat to incorrigibly angry. It was best to ride the emotional rollercoaster on her good side, so I did my best to support whatever mood she was in. Today, she was a toss between a wildly hyperactive princess and a whiny child on the verge of a tantrum.

When the server brought us our food a few minutes later, Addie and I were shocked to see that he had only two plates--one with Eli’s order and the other holding the highly coveted Mars bar and two forks.

“Oh, no. we don’t share,” Addie said sternly, pointing at the plate in disgust. “We need two of those…one for each of us.”

I gave the server an apologetic look, as he put the plate down in front of her and ran off toward the kitchen. I was relieved when he returned mere moments later with the second dessert in hand. For a brief instant, I was worried that Addie had frightened him so badly that I would never get to taste the tantalizing treat. I was already jealous at the appreciative coos she was making with every bite she took.

Eli was being such a good sport, and I wanted him to know I appreciated his efforts at putting up with Addie’s unpredictable personality. After all, she was getting on my nerves, and I had known her a lifetime. I could only imagine how he must feel. Considering he had only known her a few hours, he was holding up spectacularly well. And, while they had gone a few rounds earlier in the day, things were looking up. Besides, I could tell it was mainly because Addie was growing increasingly jealous at the unseemly connection I shared with Eli. She had never shared me with anyone other than Chaseyn before, and it was a challenge for her to have to vie for my formerly undivided attention.

Dabbing the last of the fried batter from the corners of her lips, Addie tossed her napkin on the table, pushed back her chair, and hopped to her feet.

“Ready?”

Eli and I grabbed our glasses, downed the last of our pop, and chased after Addie as she dashed off down the street. If day one was any indication of our schedule for the rest of our trip, Eli and I had better plan to get plenty of sleep on the trains between stops because Addie was going to keep us on our toes from dusk to dawn each day.

Chapter 6 - Rude Awakening

It had been a long day--maybe the longest day of my life--and it was only 7 p.m. We had spent the past four hours wending our way through every two-bit kiosk and big-box department store we passed--not to mention others that Addie ensured we went out of our way to pass.

We had planned an elaborate scheme to sneak Addie and I past the desk clerk back at the hostel, but when we arrived, no one was at the desk. Eli reached across the counter, grabbed the key to his--
our
--room, and led the way upstairs. He seemed a tad bit disappointed that no one would bear witness to him taking two girls to “bed” with him.

I was a puddle when we reached the top floor. Clearly, the nominal overnight fee the place charged wasn’t enough to fund air conditioning for the establishment. When Eli finally turned the handle and opened the door to our room, our noses were assaulted by a musty stench that wafted out in the hall to greet us. I was too tired to care, and I pushed past the two of them to throw myself down across the bed. Eli was hot on my heels, leaving Addie no choice but to take a seat in the folding chair by the window--which I wished we had thought to crack before leaving the room for the afternoon. Addie caught on quickly, and propped it open with a small wooden rod that she found on the sill.

“It’s like a sauna in here. We should have tried to find another place before settling for this,” Addie snorted, she was bordering on belligerent.

We were all jet-lagged, grumpy, and sweaty, so I let her comment slide. Not to mention that the moment my head hit the bed, I felt my eyes begin to droop. Eli yawned and stretched his arms, sliding one around my shoulder as he settled into his place beside me on the bed. I wanted to protest, but I was so exhausted that I couldn’t even move my mouth. Knowing sleep would soon overtake me, I curled up on my side, my head resting on Eli’s chest. Despite the heat, he still smelled clean--like soap…boy soap. I sighed and succumbed to the cozy sense of security that he enveloped me in.

“Don’t you dare fall asleep, Lia,” Addie threatened. “Not with him in that bed. What am I supposed to do?”

I knew she had a right to be upset. Eli had promised she and I could have the bed, but it was too late. My body had collapsed into a state of intense exhaustion. I wanted to shift positions, or to at least force Eli from the bed, but I couldn’t bring my body to move. It was hopeless. Until…

“Isn’t it? Look at the two of you. You’ve been flirting and making googly eyes at each other all day,” she shouted back. “I’m sure Chaseyn would have a thing or two to say about this.”

“Chaseyn has nothing to do with this,” I retorted. It was true. He had sent Eli on the trip after all, and he had even given Eli permission to pursue me. While I knew it would break Chaseyn’s heart if I chose Eli over him, I also knew that there was a big part of him that wanted me to have a normal life--the kind of life that Eli could give me. Knowing that didn’t keep me from feeling a pang of guilt at the thought. Still, Chaseyn would hurt, but he would understand.

But there wasn’t anything to apologize for. Eli and I did have a special connection--one that Addie could never understand. One that had nothing to do with love or romance, no matter how much Eli might wish otherwise.

I stormed into the hallway to collect my thoughts while Addie and Eli worked out the sleeping arrangements. A few moments later, Addie came into the hall, an apologetic look on her face.

“I’m sorry,” she said, wrapping her arms around me in a warm embrace. She had always been the huggy type. “I hate fighting with you.”

“Me, too,” I replied quietly.

“Eli explained everything.”

“He did?” I asked, wondering how much he had told her and why she didn’t seem more confused or concerned. I was terrified to hear what she would say next. I stood in silence waiting for her to assault me with a string of questions about what it was like to have a half-vampire boyfriend, but they never came.

“He told me that your grandparents are pretty serious about each other, and they really want the two of you to get closer if you’re going to be family one day. He also told me that as much as he likes you, he knows where he stands with you.”

I exhaled a huge breath that I hadn’t realized I had been holding. I should have known better than to think Eli would betray my trust or put Addie in jeopardy by revealing our secret--
Chaseyn’s
secret. I wrapped my arm around Addie’s shoulder and guided her back inside the room.

“Let’s get some rest,” I said, and she laid her head against my arm.

We lay down on the bed, feet to head the way we used to when we would sleepover at each other’s houses as kids. I was so exhausted that I instantly fell into a deep sleep, and despite my worry about the night terrors I would face once I closed my eyes, I slept extremely well. At least, until I was startled awake by the sound of an alarm blaring just outside the window.

Bounding to the window, I glanced down to see emergency medics placing an elderly man on a stretcher. I heard someone ask if he would be all right, and they explained the man had fallen, and they were taking him to the hospital as a precaution only. I felt a sense of relief and made an attempt to crawl back into bed without waking the others. It would have worked well if I hadn’t stubbed my toe on the side of the bed, kicked Eli in the head when I stumbled backward in pain, and finally landed with a thud on Addie’s feet.

“What’s wrong?” Eli jumped to his feet, fists up and ready for a fight. In an instant, he had positioned himself in front of me so that he would be the first to make contact with any potential intruders. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“The night’s still young,” Eli stuttered when he had finally stopped laughing. Standing in just his boxers and a tight-fitting tank top, his hair mussed and a dreamy look in his eyes, it was hard to deny his boyish good looks. His baby blue eyes brightening in the glow of the streetlight that was seeping in through the curtain, Eli smoothed one hand through his hair and the other down his shirt before giving us a slow grin. He had sensed me appraising him as he stood there--perhaps, Addie had been too.

“I don‘t know about you guys, but I feel pretty wide awake,” Addie said, flopping down on the folding chair in the corner.

Eli walked over to where I stood. I had been surveying the room for a way to put some distance between us, and he had closed that distance with a mere three steps. He wrapped a bare arm around my shoulder, and I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. Addie shot me a wicked glare, indicating she was not comfortable with my response--albeit involuntary--to Eli putting the moves on me. Finally, Eli broke the silence that was filling the room like a thick fog.

“Put your dancing shoes on, pretty ladies, because we are going to paint this town red,” he said, face brightening.

How could we refuse? It was our first night free from parental rule, and we were in an exciting city on the other side of the world. I had spent my entire life playing by the rules, and tonight, I was ready to break out of my shell. Not to mention, there was only so much trouble you could get into living in a sleepy little bedroom town like Evergreen. It was time to experience a night on the town in the big city--and not just any big city, but one known for its exceptional nightlife.

With her hands on her hips and her head cocked to one side, Addie appeared to be weighing her options, and I couldn’t tell which one of her many personalities was going to respond. If she landed on the side of stubborn princess, we would get an earful about how she needed her beauty sleep, but if her inner party animal decided to put in an appearance, our only worry would be about how to contain her wild side while enjoying our evening out.

“Finally, Boy Wonder has something intelligent to say,” she said, sarcasm dripping from each word. “I was beginning to question if he was anything more than just a pretty face.”

“You think I’m pretty?”

Fortunately, Addie had already turned her attention to a new task--beautifying for our outing--so she missed Eli’s genuine look of pleasure at her comment. Sometimes, he really didn’t have a clue. After a moment of staring off into space--presumably pondering Addie’s words further--Eli pulled on a rumpled pair of faded jeans and a fitted t-shirt that perfectly accentuated his sculpted chest. Without any effort at all, he was dressed and ready in a way that would have every girl in London falling at his feet. Must be nice to be so blessed. I grabbed a hair elastic and started wrapping it around my long, auburn curls, hoping to tame them into a somewhat acceptable style.

“You’re not seriously considering going out with your hair like that?” Addie asked, her words clearly suggestive of the fact that she would not be caught dead with me looking like I did. “I mean, seriously, Lia, just because Chaseyn likes the way you look when you’re hair’s au naturel doesn’t mean the rest of the world is ready to accept you that way.”

Sometimes, her words had such bite that I wanted to give her a piece of my mind. But, I knew she only had my best interests at heart. And, she did have a point. It was the first time in our lives that we were going to an adult nightclub. I should put some effort into the occasion. I pulled my hair from the cloth band and gave my head a shake. At the same time, Addie pointed toward the small desk in the corner of the room where she had plugged in a 2-inch barrel curling iron.