Free The Vampire Next Door by Charity Santiago, Evan Hale

sun.”
     
    I glanced over at him, rolling my head to the side on the couch pillow so that I could see him. He had one hand folded across his midsection, with his opposite elbow propped on it, his thumb hooked underneath his chin and his fingers curled up against his mouth.
     
    It was a pensive pose, and I wondered if he truly did understand how I felt. For all our differences, we might both be lost souls, each of us walking a beat out of step with a world that threatened to sweep us away in its relentless, pulsating rhythm.
     

CHAPTER 5
     
    I woke up the next morning to the rumble of thunder and the sound of pouring rain outside, and my heart sank.
     
    Then the back door opened, and I almost jumped off the couch in fear and surprise. Fortunately, it was only Reeve, and as he stepped inside, water pouring off him in rivulets, I saw that he was carrying my shopping tote- the one I’d filled up with candles and Chef Boyardee cans.
     
    “One second,” he said when he saw that I was awake. He kicked off his muddy hiking boots, which were already untied, and padded to his bedroom in his socks.
     
    My eyes stayed on the bag the entire time. Had I left my gun in there? The crossbow? I honestly couldn’t remember. What about my scooter? Was it still out in the rain?
     
    When Reeve emerged from the bedroom again a few minutes later, he’d changed into a v-neck black tee shirt and jeans. His hair was still wet, tiny water droplets clinging to strands that fell in front of his eyes. He brushed them back with annoyance, and held up the tote. “Are you hungry?”
     
    I nodded, and finally found my voice. “How long do you think it’s going to rain?”
     
    “All day, probably. I can’t see where the clouds end.”
     
    All day? I’d be stuck here all day?
     
    “Is she still outside my house?” I asked hopefully. If Kellie was gone, I’d take my chances in the rain and hobble the two hundred feet back to my front door.
     
    “She’s there,” Reeve said, to my disappointment. “She’s been yelling about money all morning. Apparently you owe her eight hundred dollars.”
     
    “Oh, good grief, are you serious? I don’t owe her a dime. I don’t know where she gets these…” I trailed off. “Sorry. She just gets under my skin sometimes. Where…um…” I stopped and took a breath, trying to collect my thoughts. “Would you mind if I used your restroom?”
     
    Reeve set the tote on the floor and walked over to me, holding out a hand as he approached. “Down the hallway. How’s your knee?”
     
    I winced as I tried to straighten out my left leg. “It hurts.  A lot.” I stared at his outstretched hand, chewing nervously on my lower lip. I didn’t really want to touch him again, but I knew there was no way I could walk to the bathroom on my own. Reluctantly, I put my hand in his.
     
    If Reeve was aware of my discomfort, he didn’t show it. He hooked my arm around his neck and stood, lifting me into a standing position alongside him. I put my other hand on his chest to steady myself, and barely managed to keep from shivering when my fingers skimmed bare skin above the v-neck of his shirt.
     
    “You’re still kind of damp from the rain yesterday,” he said to me as we started the slow trek towards the bathroom. “If you want, I can wash your clothes for you, and give you something else to wear in the meantime.”
     
    “No offense, Reeve, but your clothes would swallow me up,” I said. I was standing on the tiptoes of my right foot, and my arm was still uncomfortably high where it was curled across his muscular neck. He had to have been well over six feet tall- probably six-three or six-four. I felt like a child standing next to him.
     
    “There are some clothes in the master bedroom,” he said, unexpectedly. “Women’s clothes.”
     
    “My neighbor’s clothes? She dressed like an old lady,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “But I guess that would work.” I stumbled, and winced as the