Vicious Romantic

“Oh my God! I have to go get ready!” Bailey squealed after flipping her phone shut. Jeff had called and asked her to go on a date. Of course she said yes.

“Yeah, don’t take too long in the shower. I need time to do your hair!” Clara called after Bailey’s running figure. Clara set her eyes on Tucker as he played his piano with blank expression and burning eyes. He hadn’t caught a single word of Bailey’s date, he was in playing mode. Clara reflected silently on her brother’s past. She wanted him to be happy again. She wanted Bailey to make him happy again.

Clara wished she had the ability to read minds. She wanted desperately to know what had crossed Tucker’s mind that made his expression soften and his eyes calm. What changed the angry sounding music into a lullaby?

Tucker stopped playing just in time to hear the sounds of Bailey saying goodby to Clara. Curiously Tucker stalked toward the front door and watched out the window as a black car sped off.

“Where did she go?” Tucker asked letting his eyebrows pull together in confusion. Clara looked at him unsurely. “Just tell me!” Tucker barked angrily.

“She’s on a date with Jeff.” Clara informed her brother. Tucker’s jaw clenched upon hearing the news. Clara watched his nostrils flare, a sure sign he was putting effort into restraining his anger. “That’s what she’s here for, Tucker.” Clara reminded him quietly.

“I know.” Tucker said shortly, annoyance filled his voice and he shut his eyes tightly. “I just hate that guy.”

“Right.” Clara scoffed and rolled her eyes. She knew her brother better than that. They are triplets after all. Tucker snarled some nasty words at Clara before exiting his den in a fury. Clara laughed sarcastically at how touchy her brother was over something that happened ages ago. She didn’t expect him ever completely heal from what happened. Tucker wore the tragic events like a wound. He never let the ‘wound’ heal, scar, and fade. No. This is Tucker, he would let the wound heal only enough to tear it open again; letting it get infected with guilt and anger.

“Clara!” Ian sang walking into the room gracefully, even through vampire eye.

“Ian.” Clara mumbled flatly. Clara tensed and felt her thoughts getting tangled around each other. The tangled thoughts in Clara’s head forced her to only speak in short sentences. She hated the pandemonium Ian caused in her brain.

“Hi.” Ian smiled cutely at Clara as he leaned against the Tucker’s piano. He wanted to slap himself. Hi? HI!?!? That’s all he could think of. Hi? Ian’s stomach twisted in knots, and definitely wasn’t from the three green apples he had previously eaten. The knots hurt and felt good at the same time, it was bitter sweet sensation.

“Hi.” Clara tried to smile but it turned into a scowl of some sort. Ian ignored Clara’s facial expression and wrapped his arms around her body. This was normal behavior for Ian so Clara rolled her eyes impatiently. She wanted to go talk to Tucker a certain human living in the room across from his.

Ian looked lovingly at Clara. He facial features were perfect, absolutely perfect in every aspect. Her eyes her gorgeous much like her personality. Ian was in love with Clara and he didn’t even try to deny it anymore. He accepted it, he enjoyed it. Ian twisted a royal blue strand of Clara’s hair around his finger. It was killing him slowly that she wouldn’t pay attention to him.

Clara wanted to slap his hand away from her hair. Why did he do this to her? It wasn’t fair. Why did she let him do this? She knew why, she just didn’t like it. Clara admired Ian’s strong jawbone while he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. He’s said the same things at least a million times and they still make her stomach flutter with nervousness.

“You’re beautiful.” Ian whispered to into Clara’s hair while he swayed their bodies slightly. Clara quit trying to talk herself out of falling into Ian’s trap. There was no use, she wouldn’t be able to walk away from him. “You’re gorgeous.” Ian corrected himself and placed a kiss on Clara’s jaw. Clara shivered and Ian pulled her even closer to his body. “I love you.” Ian muttered shyly into her hair.

“What?” Clara pushed herself away from Ian enough to look at his face.

“I love you.” Ian confessed louder this time while keeping his eyes locked on Clara’s. Clara’s tangled up thoughts melted into a pile of mush. She forgot how to speak. “Clara?” Ian asked with panic clear in his voice. He would honestly crawl into a hole and die if he was rejected after building up the courage for such a long time.

“I love you too.” Clara blurted when the melted puddle of thoughts started to return to their normal tangled mess. Ian placed small kisses on Clara’s lips. He was so overjoyed that it disgusted him. Clara was more than overjoyed, she was astonished. Ian hadn’t said “I love you” to any girl in all the years she’d known him.

“I love you.” Ian said between small kisses. “I love you so much.” Kiss. “I love you.” Kiss. “I love you.” Ian couldn’t stop saying the words, they were like an addictive drug.

Upstairs Tucker sat on the edge of his bed wringing his fingers through his hair with his elbows resting on his knees. The images of her were flashing through his mind like lightening. Dark brown hair. Pink lips. Long eyelashes. Slightly tanned skin. The green-ish yellow eyes that he loved. With each image undesirable pain surged through his entire being. Adele.

Tucker wanted to move on. How could he? Every time he found a girl to his liking images of Adele would flood his mind. Guilt would take hold of him and force him to become distant to everyone around him. It wasn’t fair. Bailey looked so much like Adele, it felt like Bailey was taunting him every single waking moment of his life. He couldn’t deal with it all the time, Bailey was a constant reminder of the biggest mistake he’s ever made.