Status: Finished.
Give Me Envy, Give Me Malice, Give Me Your Attention
Chapter Eleven
Ryan’s fingers trailed down from Anna’s lips to her neck. She was facing the other way, lying down because it still hurt a bit to stand. Watching her neck, he circled the small brown puncture marks, barely touching her skin because he was afraid to hurt her. As he ran his fingertips over the small reddish-purple bruises, Anna winced from his touch.
“Does it hurt?” he asked her, taking his fingers off her neck.
“Not physically,” she whispered. He noticed a tear slip its way down her face.
“Don’t cry, my love,” he said, briefly brushing his lips over the minor contrusions on her neck.
“I’m sorry.” She closed her eyes, ashamed. “I hate this. I hate him.”
“I know you do.”
“I’ll never be able to love you the way you want me to because of him. It won’t be good enough.”
“Having you love me at all is enough for me.”
There was silence.
“I hate him so much, Ry.”
“Shh,” he comforted. “Get some sleep, love.”
“Stay with me?” she asked, wiping her tears as best she could.
'Why would he?' the negative voice in her mind questioned. 'You’re nothing but an emotional mess.'
“Of course,” he smiled.
'Is he blind?' the pessimist voice scoffed. 'One day he’ll realize just how pathetic you are and get the fuck away. It’s only a matter of time.'
Slowly, Arianna Thorn drifted into a haunted sleep to the lullaby of pessimism, cynicism, and negativity.
***
“I can’t believe you’ve lived here for a year now but you’ve never been past the third floor!” Ryan laughed.
“Shut up,” Anna smiled. “You know I have reasons.”
It was two weeks since the night Anna had fallen. The bad voices in her head hadn’t gone away – if anything they had gotten stronger – but she was smart enough not to act on them. Yet.
Ryan held Anna’s hand tightly as they swept up the spiral staircase. He pointed out the features of each floor and the important vampires that resided there, even though she hadn’t even heard of half of them. All the other Dandies, Chiz and Travis included, were at some sort of dinner banquet downstairs. Ryan was pretending he wasn’t feeling very well to get out of it and Anna, as usual, wasn’t invited. Not that she really cared anymore. When they reached the very top floor, it was just a narrow corridor with three doors. Ryan gently pushed the door closest to where they were at the top of the stairs and it opened obediently with a creaking noise.
“You see that window?” He gestured to the other side of the room, but it wasn’t necessary. Almost the entire opposite wall was a divided pane of glass. “That’s the window I’d watch you from very night. Back when…”
“I was human,” she finished softly, a small smile playing on her lips. “Wow. You can pretty much see all of Chicago from here!”
Turning around after staring in awe out at the pretty, lit up city, Anna’s smile faltered when she saw a dark oak desk in the corner of the room.
“What room is this?” she asked in a dreaded whisper.
Ryan hesitated to answer. “Beckett’s study.”
Anna shuddered violently and strode quickly out of the room, Ryan closely behind her.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I shouldn’t have brought you in there.”
“It’s okay. I just don’t want to be there anymore.” 'The same way he will soon not want to be with you.'
“Okay. Well, the other bedrooms are Carden’s – you’ve heard of him, right? Second-hand man? Yeah. And the last room… well, I think you can guess who that belongs to.”
Anna gulped and nodded before striding back to the top of the staircase. Leaning over the ornate banister, she took in a deep breath and shivered in the moonlight.
“You okay?” Ryan asked her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.
She turned in his arms and forced a smile. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
She brought up her arms around his shoulders and he leaned his forehead on hers. They both stood there, entranced by each others eyes, smiling in the perfect moment. Caught in each others’ embrace, they were immune to the sound of footsteps coming from the other end of the corridor. Both leaning in slightly, they were about to kiss when a certain stunned voice stopped them.
“Anna?!”
Alarmingly flicking her head to the side, Anna saw the owner of that all-too-familiar voice that she thought never to hear again.
“Bella?!”
“Does it hurt?” he asked her, taking his fingers off her neck.
“Not physically,” she whispered. He noticed a tear slip its way down her face.
“Don’t cry, my love,” he said, briefly brushing his lips over the minor contrusions on her neck.
“I’m sorry.” She closed her eyes, ashamed. “I hate this. I hate him.”
“I know you do.”
“I’ll never be able to love you the way you want me to because of him. It won’t be good enough.”
“Having you love me at all is enough for me.”
There was silence.
“I hate him so much, Ry.”
“Shh,” he comforted. “Get some sleep, love.”
“Stay with me?” she asked, wiping her tears as best she could.
'Why would he?' the negative voice in her mind questioned. 'You’re nothing but an emotional mess.'
“Of course,” he smiled.
'Is he blind?' the pessimist voice scoffed. 'One day he’ll realize just how pathetic you are and get the fuck away. It’s only a matter of time.'
Slowly, Arianna Thorn drifted into a haunted sleep to the lullaby of pessimism, cynicism, and negativity.
***
“I can’t believe you’ve lived here for a year now but you’ve never been past the third floor!” Ryan laughed.
“Shut up,” Anna smiled. “You know I have reasons.”
It was two weeks since the night Anna had fallen. The bad voices in her head hadn’t gone away – if anything they had gotten stronger – but she was smart enough not to act on them. Yet.
Ryan held Anna’s hand tightly as they swept up the spiral staircase. He pointed out the features of each floor and the important vampires that resided there, even though she hadn’t even heard of half of them. All the other Dandies, Chiz and Travis included, were at some sort of dinner banquet downstairs. Ryan was pretending he wasn’t feeling very well to get out of it and Anna, as usual, wasn’t invited. Not that she really cared anymore. When they reached the very top floor, it was just a narrow corridor with three doors. Ryan gently pushed the door closest to where they were at the top of the stairs and it opened obediently with a creaking noise.
“You see that window?” He gestured to the other side of the room, but it wasn’t necessary. Almost the entire opposite wall was a divided pane of glass. “That’s the window I’d watch you from very night. Back when…”
“I was human,” she finished softly, a small smile playing on her lips. “Wow. You can pretty much see all of Chicago from here!”
Turning around after staring in awe out at the pretty, lit up city, Anna’s smile faltered when she saw a dark oak desk in the corner of the room.
“What room is this?” she asked in a dreaded whisper.
Ryan hesitated to answer. “Beckett’s study.”
Anna shuddered violently and strode quickly out of the room, Ryan closely behind her.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I shouldn’t have brought you in there.”
“It’s okay. I just don’t want to be there anymore.” 'The same way he will soon not want to be with you.'
“Okay. Well, the other bedrooms are Carden’s – you’ve heard of him, right? Second-hand man? Yeah. And the last room… well, I think you can guess who that belongs to.”
Anna gulped and nodded before striding back to the top of the staircase. Leaning over the ornate banister, she took in a deep breath and shivered in the moonlight.
“You okay?” Ryan asked her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.
She turned in his arms and forced a smile. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
She brought up her arms around his shoulders and he leaned his forehead on hers. They both stood there, entranced by each others eyes, smiling in the perfect moment. Caught in each others’ embrace, they were immune to the sound of footsteps coming from the other end of the corridor. Both leaning in slightly, they were about to kiss when a certain stunned voice stopped them.
“Anna?!”
Alarmingly flicking her head to the side, Anna saw the owner of that all-too-familiar voice that she thought never to hear again.
“Bella?!”