Relationship Questions

Leaving me alone in the computer room with Cameo. She's not even really doing anything, she's just sleeping.

I wonder if she even knows what she is. If she knows exactly how much I like her. How much I worry about her, and how much more I'll worry now. Just because she can't go digging into my head and find out doesn't mean she doesn't know.

Just when I feel like I have to get up, she wakes up. She sits up, rubs her eyes, and looks around.

"Where'd everybody go?" she asks simply.
"They went to bed. Which you should do." With that, I stand up, help her t her feet, and walk with her to her room. She's still a little wobbly, but she'll be fine.

"What happened?"

Should I tell her? That she's a lot more that I though she was, and she could be the key to the salvation or demise of the human world? That I'm breaking the unspoken guy rule and falling for a girl before I know she's fallen for me? That I have dialogues with myself concerning her? Like this one?

Not now.

"Nothing, really. You just got a little sick after you went to look for the message, that's all." I feel a little sick now. I don't want to lie to her.

She studies me like she knows something's up.

"You're lying." She says this with finality in her voice. "Don't try to protect me, I can take care of myself, okay?" I nod yes. Better to agree with her.

We walk together in silence to her doorway. When we reach it, she doesn't go in. She just stands there, looking at me.

If I'm the mindreader, then why is she always there? How does she always know? Does she even know? What haven't I seen in her head yet?

I'm still kicking myself for that whole date bullcrap. Damn Delaina, and Alex, and the fucking ghost people, for screwing me over. We were this close...and I've never been one to initiate anything. Yasmine was always the dominant one, and I let her do it. Ack. I need another shot at that kiss...

"So..." she says, sounding about as embarrassed as I felt. "Thanks for the whole date thing. It was really sweet."
"No problem." I say. What else is there?
"Umm...okay, then...so I guess I'll go in now..."she says, but doesn't actually do it.
"Okay." I give her a hug. She needs one. She's been through a lot.

What the hell is scaring me about her?

Fuck it, I'm just gonna do it, and screw the consequences.

It's not the best kiss ever, but given that it's five thirty in the morning, it'll do. I'm not complaining, anyway.

About ten seconds later, against all instincts, I pull away. She needs sleep, why should I keep her?

She looks entirely shocked. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.

I decide not to question it as I walk down the hall back to the computer room, on my way to my room.

"Vlad?" I turn around.

She walks back toward me and gives me a really big hug. This is new. She's never been one for hugging. Two in one night?

"Sorry I've been so weird lately." She's been weird? I'm the one who effing kissed her.

That's when I get a surprise of my own.

This time, its almost surreal. And I'm not one for the word surreal. This is why she scares me sometimes. She puts her heart and soul...can I even say she has one? Or does she have an extra soul?...into everything she does. Including this kiss. If I wasn't sure how she felt about me before, even with the trips through her head, I am defanetly sure now.

I probably had the same look she did when she pulled back to look at me.

"Night." She walks back to her room, opens her door, waves at me, and shuts the door. Im still glued to the same spot.

When I make my way back to the computer room, Alex was waiting for me.

"Congrats, bro." He sounded almost surprised. "You got kissed." He says that like he's saying I got served. I hate that.

I try very hard not to smile, but my facial muscles can't quite pull it off.

Alex suddenly stops smiling. "You're emotionally involved."

Crap. Emotional involvement isn't good when you're falling for the thing you're supposed to protect.

"What?" I'm completely blindsided.
"You can't protect her objectively. This is bad for her security. Go out with her if you want, but you can't protect her when it comes down to it."
"Yes I can, if anything even more so. Because I care about her, I can protect her like no one else can." I hope this argument works.

It does. "Fine. But you probably can't help train her. I don't need you two making goo goo eyes while she's supposed to be learning to get through the muddle that is her brain."
"Fine." This I can live with. "Are you really pissed at me for getting emotionally involved, or pissed at yourself because you let your childhood friend have Delaina?"

That does it for him. He tackles me to the ground. "Shut up!" he says as he knocks me in the stomach, while I'm laughing at him.

I love when I set Alex loose. He's always this expository all knowing type of guy. I love it when he's just my asinine older brother.

He lets me up, then asks me the most random question. For Alex, anyway.

"How do I get her?"

This takes even me aback. "Well...I don't know. I don't like her in that way. How about showing her that sometimes, you don't know everything. That might help." I say. "Now get some sleep." With that, I head off to my room.

That's when I slip and fall, and end up skidding all the way to my door. What the hell?

I get up, trying not to hurt my throbbing left arm. What I see shocks me.

The entire floor of the hallway was covered in water. Crap, I'm soaked. This bites.

I carefully try to open my door, and feel a piece of paper on the doorknob. I detach it, and unfold it.

What I read scares the living shit out of me. I skid back over to Alex, tell him about the water and show him the note. He reads it aloud.

"To the Jovanovik brothers: We know who you are, we know what one of you leads, we know the other has our weapon. If you do not return our weapon to us, you will pay. And you'll still lose her."