[u]Ok guys, here's the second part of my vampire romance, I know it starts out slow, but bare with me it gets better, critique's are always welcome thanks![/u]
Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I took out the vibrating Blackberry, it was a text from my sister.
Call immediately! Emma.
Wonder what she wants?
I was sudden;y very sober, as made my way to the bathroom, it wasn't unlike my older sister to text me, just to check up on me. You know how big sisters worry over little sisters living alone in the Big Apple.
In fact she had just called me a couple days ago, everything had been fine then, her husband Emmet had landed a big promotion, my little nephew Logan, was going to start T-ball, and my little niece or nephew to be was kicking up a storm.
I stopped short, someone drunk of their rocker bumped into me, a woman howled along with some golden oldies, Robin Hood wannabe had a baseball bat, gripped tightly ready to break up a bar fight.
The baby!
What if it had been Emmet texting me, telling me something was wrong with Emma and the baby?
With that in mind, I sped off in the direction of the ladies room. Forgetting I was in four inch heels, I slipped in a puddle of beer.
I let out a yelp, trying to catch my balance, while the hard grimy wooden floor kept getting closer and closer. Two strong hands caught me, an inch from the floor, the masculine hands righted me.
I turned around white as a sheet from the near accident, I was surprised to find out that my savior was the dark stranger at the bar.
“Thank you,” I said breathlessly, brushing away rich auburn sweepy bangs from my sweating forehead.
The stranger nodded curtly, his blue eyes boring into mine. I felt a slight pressure from behind my eyes, I shook my long auburn mane severely. I must have really drunk to much, I looked up to find the stranger still staring, creepy.
“Well, thanks again.” I replied, walking briskly away.
I made it into the restroom, without anymore spills, hesitantly I looked over my shoulder; creepy stranger had vanished. Shaking my head again, thinking that drinking and hallucinations go hand in hand.
I pushed my way into the bathroom, the handsome stranger fading from my mind, my only thoughts on my sister.
I whipped out that maroon Blackberry, dialing my sisters number by heart. She picked up after three rings, my nerves were on edge after the first ring. Please let everything be alright, I prayed.
“Hello?” she answered, her soft breathy voice calm.
“Emma?” I questioned, waiting for the hysterical outburst.
“Cassie, baby how are you?” she gushed, always excited to hear from me.
I was taken aback, why wasn't she crying hysterically? Why wasn't she telling me that there were complications and the baby didn't make it?
I sniffed, holding back my own tears. I jumped up on the sink counter, ready for anything. I closed my hazel eyes, prepared for the worst, at least I was sitting down.
“Emma, how's the baby?” I asked cautiously.
She giggled. “Oh she's doing fine, little Abigail or Lorelei is doing just fine. In fact the other-”
“Wait!” I shouted, holding my hand up like a stop sign, as if she was standing before me now.
“W-what's wrong?”
“Emma, the baby's alright?”
She laughed again and I could just picture her lovingly rubbing her round stomach. “Yes, our little girl is just perfect.” she cooed.
“Oh, then what's all this 'call immediately' crap?” I asked totally confused.
“Well,” she began and I had to interrupt her again, what she was telling me finally hit home.
Tears welled up in my eyes, I hurried into a stall not wanting anyone to come in and see me crying my eyes out.
“A girl?” I asked softly, wiping away tears and mascara.
Emma was crying now too. “Yea, a little girl. Emmet is so excited, and little Logan he has no idea what a little sister even means, but he's excited too, oh Cassie!”
I held the phone to my shoulder, my voice so full of the wrong kind of emotion, I had to hold back. I blinked away mu jealous and envious tears.
“Lorelei.”
“What?” Emma blubbered, blowing her nose daintily.
“Name her Lorelei, so you can keep up with the whole naming your kids with the first letter thingy.” I sighed, using toilet paper as a tissue.
“Sounds perfect.” I heard her echo the decided name to her husband, he was thrilled, a sob caught in my throat.
God why couldn't I be happy?
Emma came back on the line, she sounded giddy and out of breath.
“Was that the reason you needed me to call?” I asked amazed at hoe a trace of bitterness found it's way out of the locked box. A good thing Emma was so high on her own happiness to notice.
“No, the reason I wanted you to call was because- Neil proposed to Jessie!” she squealed.
I should be squealing to, but the shock just hadn't set in, or was it jealousy twisting the knife a little deeper?
Neil, was our little brother, he had just finished his second year at Yale, and now he was engaged to his high school sweetheart.
I gave a pathetic, hip hip hooray for my little brother. My big sis, thank you Jesus, noticed that something was wrong.
“Cass, what's wrong?” she asked softly.
I was just about ready to spill my guts, tell her every feeling I've felt since the conversation started. I could do that with my big sister right? My sis would listen to me, tell me everything;s going to be fine, unlike my supposed friends in college, who only gave a damn about their G.P.A's, bitches.
I brushed away a tear, feelings happy for the first time that night. I opened my mouth, taking a deep breath.
I heard my nephew scream, he was unhappy about something, well dammit that makes two of us, spoiled brat.
“Damn.” Emma cursed under her breath. “Listen Cassie, it's been a joy hearing that all's well with you, but Logan bumped his head and Emmet went to bed,” she paused and I over heard her trying to calm the little tyke down.
I fought the overwhelming urge to chuck the cell phone at the bathroom stall, and cry like my nephew was.
But alas, I was twenty-two years old, sitting in a bar's bathroom and not my own dorm room.
Emma came back on the line yet again, a sniffling baby in the back round. “Listen before I forget, mom and dad's thirtieth anniversary is the first weekend in August and it would be nice of you to come, sense they haven't seen you since you left for New York, could you please come?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, to keep from thinking about my parents. Things hadn't ended well with us after graduation, they wanted me to go one way and I wanted to go to New York, let's just say China could hear us.
“Yea, sure, I'll go.” I said in a clipped tone. Shaking my head regretfully, I'll find a way to get out of it.
“Great!” Emma exhaled sounding very tired. “I love you Cassie, call me tomorrow, bye!”
“Bye.” I replied, ending the long painful call.
For one brief second, I buried my head in my trembling hands and let my world wash over me. All my little insecurities washed over me like a tidal wave. I cried very very hard in that little stall and thanked God that no one came in to puke their guts out.
That's one thing I never got, speaking of insecurities, why couldn't some man love me and want me? Why did I have to go through high school and part of college without a man to call my own? Why couldn't someone just love me?
I sniffed loudly, trying to pull myself together. This was not a psychologists couch, it was a smelly bathroom stall.
This was the real reason why I drank, screw being cathartic. This was one night out of the month that I could have a mind numbing experience without being called a drug addict or a mental patient. Sure, by the next morning it would all come back to full swing, but by then I could cope with it unlike next month.I jumped down from the back of the toilet, lying to myself that I felt confident and fine. Looking at my self in the mirror was a little hard, I wiped away the tear residue and mascara streaks, pinched my cheeks for a rosy disposition.
There all better!
I walked out of the bathroom my head held high, the bar of course was still in full swing. I walked past the bars mascot Old Friar Tuck, holding a bruski I patted the wooden statues round belly, pretending he wished me luck.
I sauntered over to the bar again, slapping the bar I planted my but down, smiling like a crazy person. The bartender Robin Hood, glowered at me, his bottom lip was busted, guess the bar fight hadn't gone his was.
I asked him for the hardest drink he had.
Hell, the night was young and so was I.
