Aviva

It looked like I had found another one of life’s little dilemmas. I flicked furiously through the channels, finding hundreds of things that would have captivated me if I had something important to do, but now that I needed distracting every programme couldn’t have interested me less.

I threw the remote down beside me, bouncing off one of the sofa cushions and clattering to the floor. Soppy, romantic music saturated the air and when I registered the pictures, I realised I was on some stupid chic flick channel.

A crushing sensation in my chest stirred a nausea in my stomach as I watched as the leading lady kissed her long-lost boyfriend. I reached around desperately on the floor for the remote and switched the whole thing off. It was probably best I looked for a distraction that wasn’t going to make me feel worse. Ever since Drake had revealed his secret to me…I hadn’t been able to function.

Footsteps shuffled across the carpet behind me. Erika came into view, dressed in her fluffiest, pinkest pyjamas. Her incredibly blonde hair was growing out, now reaching halfway down her back. I remembered when my hair had been that colour, before I’d decided I looked far too feminine and dyed it a deep mahogany.

Erika threw herself down on the sofa next to me, analysing her nails carefully. She wasn’t one to let her appearance be anything other than perfect. Some days I wondered how she could possibly be my sister.

“Still moping?” she asked, her emerald eyes fixing on me. Caring as she was, Erika wasn’t one to be tactful, due more to inattention than spite.

“Yeah,” I said.

“Why don’t you just call him? You could make it up, you just need to talk,” she suggested.

“It’s not that simple,” I replied. “It’s…really complicated.”

It sounded so cliché, but I couldn’t exactly tell the truth. If I did, it would cause a whole new set of problems.At the moment, I was having enough trouble dealing with just this one.

“If you say so,” Erika said with a shrug. “But when you’ve moped for so long and you feel like calling him, just do it. You might feel better.”

I smiled at her thankfully. Of all my four sisters, I was closest to Erika, though we couldn’t have been more different. She was the one who had been head cheerleader at High School, had every guy she’d ever wanted and studied Theatre and Drama at college. I was younger, shorter and more of a tomboy. All my friends had been boys, I’d spent my summers skateboarding and surfing rather than going to dances and gymnastic classes.

Regardless of our differences, Erika had always been there for me. I believed it was partly because our mother had instilled this in her, but partly because she was just a good sister. Family was important to her, like it was to me.

Three sharp knocks on the door drew our attention. Who would be visiting us this late at night? Rather than pointlessly arguing with Erika until I did her bidding, I got up to answer it. I pulled the door open a little, cautious of who it might be.

My heart stopped when I saw him. Tall, messy dark brown hair and blue eyes deeper than I’d ever known anyone to have…Drake stood in the hallway, his expression pleading. It was strange how human he looked, but I knew better.

“Drake?”

“I know it’s late, but I really need to talk to you. I can’t take this anymore.”

“Drake…I can’t handle this right now, I just need to be away from you for a while.” We’d been through this already. I needed time and space, why didn’t he understand that?

“I know,” he muttered, miserably. “But before I let you make any decisions, I need to talk to you, ok? Please?”

I sighed, one hand massaging my forehead. I was getting a stress headache. As much as I wanted to shut the door and block him out, a part of me couldn’t bare to hurt him like that. It didn’t matter what he was…it wouldn’t change my feelings for him.

“All right. When?”

“Right now. Can we go for a walk?”

“Now? It’s really late…”

“I won’t be long, I promise.”

Another sigh escaping me, I pulled my coat down off the hanger on the wall and turned to Erika as I slid it on.

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Ok.” Her answer was simple but hope dominated her face.

I pulled the door shut and began walking towards the stairs, Drake following quickly. What in the world could he want to say? I already knew everything about what he was, what more could he want to add? I puzzled over these questions as we walked in silence down the stairs to the street.

The sky was clear but the street lights were too bright to see many stars. It was a shame, a clear night in the country could have you gazing into the heavens themselves. An occasional car passed down the otherwise deserted street, bringing and awkwardness to the silence that already stood between us. But finally, he spoke.

“You have every right to be mad. I should have told you a long time ago but I couldn’t…I wanted to see if things could work between us.”

I watched his expression as we walked, his eyes gazing at me, willing me to understand.

“How could you think it could work? You’re a Demon! Your kind are usually more than eager to devour my soul in one go,” I snapped.

“We’re not all like that,” Drake pleaded. “I get it; you know the stereotype and you’ve every right to be wary of me but I promise you I’d never hurt you.”

“Not me, you wouldn’t,” I said. “But what about others? How many people have you killed to get that kick you Demons crave so badly?”

His eyes wandered to the floor, the sadness plain on his face. I could only imagine how many souls he had taken…the life of someone, innocent or not, destroyed completely for the sake of a few hours of ecstasy. How did he, or any of them, think they had a right to play God?

We wandered off the street, into the park. Moonlight shone down through the canopy as the leaves danced in the breeze, shining patches of silver across the path.

“I haven’t killed anyone for a long time and I promise I never will again, whether you’ll have me or not…for you.”

My heart quickened its disjointed rhythm, as if it were begging me to listen to him. My mind was tempted, hearing the sincerity in his voice and the solidity of the promise he was making me. But it wasn’t just his actions that had me thinking twice about taking him back. If my family were to know I was in love with a Demon, there was no telling what they would do. I didn’t want this to turn into a choice between him and them…

I remembered what a perfect relationship we’d had. He had made me happy and sad, laugh and cry, he hadn’t just been my lover he’d been my best friend, both positions he had taken very seriously. I’d come home every day, to brighten it if it had been bad and to better it if it had been good.

A tear trickled down my cheek and a sob threatened to explode from my throat.

“Aviva…” he whispered my name, pain in every tone.

I found myself being turned towards him, his hands grasping my arms, tightly. A few more tears followed the first as I gazed up at him. Nothing was different about him; not his appearance, not his personality, not his promises. Clearly the only thing he had ever kept from me was his identity…and that made it so much harder to say no to him.

His hand stroked my cheek, lovingly, like I remembered. The love I had kept dormant erupted inside me, dashing any chance of me containing it again. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, before resuming its seriousness.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I wish I could be what you wanted.”

The sob escaped before I even had chance to try and control it. At the sound, he pulled me into his arms and I found myself back in my safe haven against his chest, his chin resting on the top of my head.

In that moment I knew I had to take the chance. How many more would I have after this, if any? Every boy I had ever met before had been a school girl crush at best…I couldn’t walk away from this. I couldn’t walk away from him.

I pressed my lips against his neck, the feeling more rewarding than I had ever remembered. His own kisses came down on the top of my head and with them, a shudder of sadness.

“Drake,” I whispered. He didn’t answer, stroking my hair as he held me. “I love you.”

Never had I said it…not until now. I wasn’t one to express my emotions, at least not through words. I’d hoped he’d always known, but he would know no better than if I were to say it.

“I love you, Aviva. More than anything…I promise I’ll be everything you want but please…”

I eased myself out of his embrace and stared up at him, the devastation in his eyes more than I could bare.

“Please don’t make me regret this,” I murmured. The tears cascaded down his cheeks as he leant down, his lips pressing against mine. The act was gentle but the reaction was explosive. My heart pounded against my ribcage and my hands moved of their own accord up to his face, holding him firmly against mine.

Drake kissed me more ferociously, one hand sliding around my back, pulling me into him. The fear, the pain and the hurt evaporated in an instant, the welcome feelings of my love, unique to him, dominating my being.

“I never will,” he whispered softly against my lips.