Eat Your Heart Out

I woke – glaring at my phone on the coffee table. It had been a full week since Kris had taken off and a full week since the last time she had even contacted me. If we didn’t find her quick, I was going to fucking lose it. I didn’t want to admit it out loud, but God I missed her being around. I got a bit too used to having her to myself while her brothers were away. When the ringtone ended, there was a few seconds of silence before it started up again. Reaching over, I rubbed my eyes trying to read who it was – but I didn’t recognize the number.

I hit accept and lifted the phone to my ear. Tiredly I mumbled, “Hello?” I could hear the faint phone static and what sounded like dishes in the background, but no reply. “Hello?” I said a bit louder.

“Is this Damon?” a male asked, almost in a demanding tone.

“Yes. Who is –“

“Seriously? That’s your name? I thought she was lying this entire time!” the voice cut him off, and there was roaring laughter in the earpiece.

“Who is this?” Damon demanded, sitting up on the couch, a bottle of scotch falling to the floor with a quiet thump.

“Um…let’s call me Jake. I like that name.” then ‘Jake’ burst into laughter with his buddies.

Damon rolled his eyes and scratched the back of his head. “Alright, Jake. How the hell did you get this number?”

“Duh – Kris!” Jake replied. “She left her phone out and I got bored and found your number!” he sang the last part, but Damon wasn’t focused on that.

“Kris? Where is she? Let me talk to her.” He demanded, standing up from excitement and fear.

“No.” Jake said with a drunken giggle. “Why should I let you?”

“Because I said so.” Lamest reply ever, but this Jake dude was drunk so it might work.
Travis just broke out into a fit of giggles. “Aw, are you her boyfriend or somethin’?”

“Yes.” The words were out before he could even think about it. When his own words floated back to him, he blinked in surprise at himself. Did he really care about her that much?

“Oh.” Jake said, a bit surprised himself. But he recovered quickly. “Oh Kristyna!” He shouted, mainly into the phone, “Your boyfriend is on the phoo-oone!” He sang it again.

Damon heard her reply in the background, sending his stomach into knots.

“What the hell are you talking about, Travis?”

“Dude! Your boyfriend! Who else?”

There were footsteps, her voice closer to the phone. “What did you do, moron?”
“Nothing,” he said.

The phone switched hands and he heard the voice he had missed for this past week. “Hello?”

Damon inhaled, taking a minute to answer.

“Hello?” she asked again.

“Kris?”

This time she was silent. “Damon?”

He breathed, sighing with relief. “You’re alive.”

“Uh…yeah.”

There was awkward silence, both quite aware of the other’s breathing. “So…” Kris started.

“Where are you?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because I still need a bit of time-“

“You’ve had a week!”

“I’m a girl, I overthink and therefore it’ll take longer-“

“People are going to get suspicious if you stay away much longer. They’ll start to wonder about your brothers –“

“They’ve already told the school I’m sick –“

“And how long before the school realizes that something is wrong?”

“Damon, I’m not ready to come home yet.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“I…I…”

“I’m ready for you to come home. Me – the one bragging that I didn’t need a girl on my arm. What’s keeping you away?”

She sighed shakily, and I was pretty sure that she was on the verge of tears. “Damon, I need to go,”

“No, no you don’t. You’ve got all the time you’ve needed this past week-“

“Damon –“

“Kris, where are you?”

“Damon, I..I can’t. I have to go.”

“Kris-“

But there was a click and a dial tone to let me know that she was gone. I tried to call the number back a few times, but no answer. Staring at the number, I started to focus on the area code. 212. 212. I knew that area code – I lived there for a few years before relocating here. Why the hell was she in New York?

I stood, tripping a little over my feet. Screw the party tonight, I found my keys and wallet quite quickly, and started to head out. There was no way that I was going to comb over every part of New York by myself, but that is why I made sure to make connections across the states.

Typing the number into the sleek face of the iPhone, I lifted it to my ear and waited through the rings.

“Hullo?” a gruff voice answered half full of sleep.

“Johnny Boy, I’m calling in a favor.”

“Salvatore, what can I do for you?”

“I got a cell number I need you to trace.”

“This couldn’t wait until the morning?”

“When have I ever waited?” I smirked to no one in particular.

~~

Travis was smiling brilliantly up at me, which did nothing but frustrate me more. “Told you he really cared.”

“It’s scary how well you can pretend to be drunk.”

“Thank you, but now do you believe me?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean anything about the future-“

“Kris, no one can predict the future. No one. Stop worrying about then and focus on the now.
There is a man, vampire or not, that cares about you and would like to at least try and have a relationship with you. Go home.”

“My brothers will kill me.”

“Eh, I’ll distract them while you run and lock your door.”

I snorted, “Because that will protect me.”

“No but, you’ll get time to hide.”

Both of us stayed silent for a moment before blasting out in laughter. “I still remember you trying to hide under your bed when you were little. You were so convinced that you were protected that way.”

“Hey, the Twins scare me when they’re mad.”

“With good reason but let’s get back to the topic at hand. Tomorrow morning, we’re going to get you home where you will grovel forgiveness from your brothers and – don’t give me that look – talk to this Damon fellow.”

I sighed, sinking down onto the couch beside one of the men who basically raised me. “You win.”

“Always do,” he smiled, before pulling me into a hug.