He pondered for a moment before asking, "Is he good-looking?"
"What?" I was floored. Was this really the time?
I should have known these old folks never take things too seriously.
I grabbed a cushion from the couch and threw it at him playfully.
"Stop scaring me! Just tell me what to do. I can't handle even one drop of his blood like I used to human blood, and animal blood is off the table. If this keeps up, I might have to move back here and you don't want me waking you up with megaphone drills every morning, do you?"
Grandpa Clive winced at the thought, then chuckled sheepishly, "Oh come on, it's not a big deal! Just sip his blood now and then. You don't need much, and you can square things away with him afterwards."
"Are you listening to yourself?" I was tempted to crack his head open and see if everything was wired right. "What if he finds out I'm a vampire?"
Clive scratched his chin, suddenly serious. "Well, there's another way—kind of like tricking yourself. Just stick close to him, pretend you can enjoy the vibe. Think of your food as his blood. It's all about the placebo effect."
I stared at him, not amused.
"Look, kid, that's the best I can do. Remember the pact we made with humans? No hurting them. Surely there's some human food you enjoy. Try eating next to him, it might just trick your mind."
Reluctantly, I nodded. It seemed I had no better option. After bidding farewell to the village elders, I made my way back to campus.
I hadn't sought out Jason yet when his friend request popped up on my phone. That saved me the hassle.
[Olivia, I've given it some thought. This mess is my fault. If only I hadn't botched the game, you wouldn't have called me out, and we wouldn't be in this mess...]
I was bewildered. Was he for real? Had he taken a page out of a cheesy drama?
I was about to respond with [Are you crazy?]
But recalling Grandpa Clive's advice, I erased those words and typed instead: [Then make it up to me with dinner.]
His reply was swift and affirmative.
He chose a restaurant with a great vibe, turning heads as we walked in.
No denying it—Jason is a head-turner, and tonight he'd really cleaned up well.
What was he playing at? This wasn't a date.
Not that I'm usually one to swoon, but under different circumstances, his charm might have stirred even my cold, undead heart.
Right now, though, all I cared about was food. I was starving.