Forever (Fallen 3)

“You look like a dessert,” he licked his lips.

I grinned and put my hands on my hips. “Are you saying I’m good enough to eat?” I asked.

“You are most certainly good enough to eat,” he replied and kissed me. “Come on, let’s go,” he took my hand.

It amazed me how easily Jonathon navigated the streets of Santa Barbara. I didn’t even have to give him any directions, which surprised me. But for all I knew he’d been here before. Or maybe an excellent sense of direction was part of being a vampire. I didn’t know. When he and his family had come with me for my father’s funeral we hadn’t really gone anywhere.

He pulled into the parking lot of the local Rite Aid and it did not go unnoticed by me that he took the long way around to avoid going by my childhood home.

I took a deep breath. “Ready?” Jonathon asked killing the engine.

“Yes,” I breathed. He came around and got the door for me and took my hand.

Once inside he slid his sunglasses on top of his head. “Do you human’s really need all this stuff for your health?” he whispered in my ear. “In my time you were lucky if medical instruments were sterile.”

I shivered. I hated to think about Jonathon’s childhood in the 1300’s. It was so long ago and everything was so different now. I knew it had to be hard, everything always changing, when you weren’t.

The clerk smiled at us. She had short blond hair and looked about sixteen. She popped her gum.

I scanned the aisle information signs looking for the one I wanted. “Come on,” I tugged Jonathon along behind me. The pregnancy tests were located against the wall next to the condoms. I thought that was kind of ironic.

“There’s so many,” said Jonathon. “How do you know which one to get?” he asked picking up a random box.

“Well,” I said taking the box from him, “this is an ovulation test not a pregnancy test.”

“Oh,” he mumbled and I put the box back.

But he was right. There were so many! I picked one up and read it. Then another. I finally settled on t

he third. It looked the most promising.

“This one,” I stood from my crouched position.

“You’re the expert.”

I smiled. He took my hand while my other held the small pink box. But before we could make it to the checkout someone came out of an aisle not looking and bumped into me.

Jonathon pulled me out of the way. The girl stumbled and he caught her too before she could fall.

Either not noticing me, or just not caring, she gave Jonathon a significant look and puffed out her ample chest for his attention. He didn’t notice and was back at my side in a moment picking up the dropped box. He held onto the box this time. The girl, obviously disappointed, pouted her pink lips, fluffed her hair and turned to glare at me.

Recognition flitted across her face. But I would’ve sworn I didn’t know her.

“Kylie?” she asked. “Kylie Lyons?”

“Pulmer, now, actually,” Jonathon informed her, holding out his hand. “I’m her husband.”

“Oh,” surprise flickered across her face and she took his outstretched hand. I could tell his honey voice and Italian accent was making her even further jealous.

Suddenly I remembered who she was. “Christina?” I gasped.

“The one and only,” she replied tossing her dyed blond hair over her shoulder. Christina and I had been best friends since elementary school. That was until she slept with my one and only boyfriend before Jonathon.

I didn’t say anything, I just wanted to leave, and seeing that she tried to prolong my misery by saying, “Well, I haven’t seen you since junior year ended. What happened to you?”

“I moved to Rome.”

“Wow, and so now you’re married?” she asked still clearly eyeing Jonathon even though I stood right there. Jonathon seemed to sense my growing tension and pulled me closer to his side as if by pure contact alone he could calm me. It worked…some.