Chapter Seventeen

Jen's PoV 

"What do you think about moving into the house?" JB's question made me choke slightly on my water. "You're here all the time anyway. It's not like you would be imprisoned here. But you wouldn't have to keep worrying your parents when you come home later. It'd be much easier to communicate with you. I mean the house is further away from the school, but you dan car pool with Jackson and Junior. You'll also be safer with us closer." 

"You're trying really hard to convince me." I observed, cutting the vampire off before he could say anything more. 

"I just think it's a good idea. Mark is all grumpy when you're not around."

"So that's what this is about." I laughed. "Look, I don't even know what Mark and I are. I see him all the time as it is..." I trailed off and looked away from JB's eyes. "It can't be healthy to want to be around him all the time, right? I mean we see each other every moment we can and if we aren't then we are communicating in either talking on the phone or by text. I want to think that's it is just the honeymoon stage and it'll wear off, but I just don't see that happening." 

"You're scared of it all. Loving him terrifies you. But you do it anyway."

It wasn't something that I wanted to admit, but it was there. It was true. 

"He's a vampire." I said simply. We'd been through this before. "And how am I supposed to know if what I'm feeling is real or just am effect of all the that we are doing together." 

"You know it's not fake and you're making excuses to make yourself feel better. Jen, I'm not one to tell you how to live your life. Everything you choose to do is your choice alone. But you know Mark. You do. He and I have been back and forth about you on multiple occasions. I just think that whatever it is that you're dealing with, doing it alone, trying to make that decision alone, is not only unfair to him, but unfair to yourself." When I didn't say anything JB sighed, "So what do you say? Moving in?" 
 

~o~
"You aren't moving across the country. You do not need to bring this much stuff." I looked up, pushing my hair away from my face and glared at Mark. 

"I may not need to but I'm doing it anyway. Now, shut up and help me." 

"I am helping you. I'm here and you get to look at my gorgeous body." I laughed loudly, 

"Gorgeous isn't the word that I would use." 

"Well I agree actually. More like y, handsome-"

"I was thinking something more along the lines of annoying or obnoxious, but whatever floats your boat." I said before looking back down to the boxes I was packing. I had just picked up a box of old CDs when I felt a rush of wind and I was suddenly on my bed next to Mark, causing me to smack him on the chest playfully.

"Well, I happen to think that you are quite pretty, beautiful even. And on top of that you are y as all hell." I felt my face heat up as he connected his lips with mine in a lingering kiss. "I'm not so obnoxious now, am I?" He asked as he pulled away.

"I sometimes wonder if you get high off my blood. Do I need to cut you off it?" I joked not knowing what else to say.

"I get high off of your presence." 

"Mark." I said rolling my eyes. 

"Jen."

"Stop flirting and help me pack this stuff." He merely smirked and stood up from my bed.

"Just tell me what to do." I assigned him a job and we packed boxes in silence for a while. "How about these?" He asked, pulling a beat up pair of converse off of my wall. "I always wondered why you had them, do you want to bring them with you?" I stared at the shoes in Mark's hand without saying a word. "Jen?" I still didn't say a word, "Babe? You alright?" 

"Put them in my backpack." I said simply before I took a deep breath.

"Of course, but why are you upset? You look as it you're going to shatter into a million pieces..." I could tell by Mark's tone that he was being cautious, not wanting me to get any more upset.

"They're my little brothers." I said hesitantly. "He disappeared when he was eight. He loved converse, and I just hung on to them because it was like me hanging on to him, y'know." With a rush of wind, Mark had his arms around me.

"What happened?" 

"The investigation is on going. More like a cold case now. It's been six years." 

"I just figured you were an only child."  I shrugged him off and focused my attention back on packing.

"Let's get this done before sunlight, huh?" I smiled at the vampire in front of me, and he stared back at me until sighing and going along with it. 

The process didn't take much longer. Within a half hour we had packed up the things that I had decided to bring over to the house. It wasn't a permanent move at all. It was a move until things calmed down, so that I could stop worrying my parents by coming in late, and so that I would be around and informed, and of course, to be around Mark. I had promised myself that doing this move would not result in me leaving my parents behind.