A Bond of Blood (A Shade of Vampire #9)(9)

Griffin took off his shirt and dumped it on a patch of dry sand, then sat in the water next to me. “I was shocked when my mom told me it was that vampire who stole Anna.”

I bit my lower lip and nodded stiffly, not sure if I could answer him without my voice breaking.

“He seemed like a good guy.” Griffin stole a glance at me. “I mean, rescuing you and all… I guess sometimes you just can’t tell—”

“You know what, Griff,” I said abruptly, “can we please talk about something else? I’m trying to take my mind off of…all that.”

“Oh, sure,” he said, frowning at me. “I’m sorry.” He climbed out of the water and reached into his shirt pocket. “I, uh, brought you some chocolates my mom made. I swear they’re not pig-shaped.”

I smirked and took the small parcel from his hand, pulling away the wrapper to reveal frog-shaped ones.

“Seriously,” I said, popping one into my mouth. “What is it with Zinnia and animal-shaped chocolates?”

Griffin leaned back in the water, resting on his elbows. “Ah, I dunno… I think part of her is stuck back in time. She used to make them for me when I was a kid, and I guess she misses those days. Now she allows the junior-school kids to come round our house on Saturdays and collect them.”

I finished the frogs and washed my hands in the water. With the comforting taste of chocolate on my tongue, I was feeling a bit less tense already. Chocolate is a girl’s best friend, my girlfriends often said. Well, chocolate and Griffin were my two best friends.

I rolled onto my stomach and, leaning on my forearms, smiled up at Griffin. “Let’s talk about you for a change. What have you been up to since I’ve been away?”

“Worrying about you,” he said.

I expected him to flash me a goofy smile, but his expression remained serious as his warm hazelnut-brown eyes stared down into mine.

“You really don’t have much of a life then,” I teased, prodding him in the stomach.

“Maybe I don’t,” he muttered, looking down at the water lapping over his toned chest. “But the thing is… I really like you, Rose.”

“Well, that’s nice.” I grinned. “I really like you too, Griff.”

He gave me a pained smile. “No.” His voice was hoarse as he shook his head. “I mean, I really like you.”

Realization dawned upon me, my heartbeat quickening. My lips parted and I fell silent.

He sat up straight, looking down at me. “I’d been meaning to tell you before you left, and I’ve regretted not doing so every single day that you’ve been gone. And when I thought I almost lost you… I wanted to ask you out on a date. I mean, I still do.” His cheeks grew red. He cursed himself beneath his breath. Inhaling deeply, he said, “Rose, will you go out with me?”

I sat up and knelt in the water, still staring at him, my mouth hanging open. Part of me willed this to be one of Griffin’s pranks. Some kind of joke. But there wasn’t a hint of frivolity in Griffin’s eyes. I clenched my jaw and tried to speak, but my throat felt parched and no words came out.

The truth was, his confession had punched me right in the gut. I felt winded.

I’d never thought of Griffin like this before in my life. He’d always been my friend. And now, knowing that he had been feeling this way for me all along—how long, I didn’t even know—somehow our relationship felt false. Like we’d been living a lie.

“Griffin,” I stammered.

“Uh-oh. There’s always trouble coming when you call me that.” He was trying to make light of the situation, but it was too late. He’d just dropped a ton of bricks on me and I was suffocating beneath the rubble.

“Oh, man.” I sighed and stood up, clasping a hand to my forehead, staring out at the waves. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I almost resented him. I had always thought that we were close enough to not hide things from each other.

His expression became serious again and he stood up, looking down at me. His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed hard.

“Because I was afraid,” he said quietly. “I was afraid that you didn’t feel the same way.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. Now I wished I had never asked the question. His answer had just made the situation ten times worse. Because the truth was, throughout our friendship, it had never once occurred to me to think of Griffin as anything more than a friend.

And now I found myself afraid to admit this to him. I didn’t know what it would do to him. His expression seemed so hopeful, so full of nervous anticipation. I just didn’t feel like I had it in me to dash all his hopes. Yet, at the same time, I didn’t want to raise his hopes higher than they already were.

In the end, I took the cowardly option.

“Griffin,” I said, gripping his hand. “This has all come as a real shock. I never knew you felt like this about me. I-I need time and space to think about all of this. To even get used to the concept of you liking me as more than a friend.”

He reached a hand to my face and I flinched. “Is it really that hard to imagine I could have felt more for you?” I felt my heart being crushed as he looked down at me with adoration in his eyes.

I gulped and reached for his hand, pulling it away from my face. “Just… give me some time,” I repeated.