CHAPTER SEVEN
1963 Words
(Ava’s POV)
Ava wasn’t nervous.
At least, that’s what she told herself as she zipped up her duffel bag for the third time, shoving her charger into the front pocket like it might anchor her nerves.
“It’s just a school assignment,” she muttered. “It’s fine. Totally fine.”
“You sound like you’re practicing for a panic attack,” Maya said, lounging dramatically across Ava’s bed as if she were the one about to leave.
“It’s not a big deal,” Ava insisted. “It’s a two-day trip. That’s it.”
“With Ethan Cole.”
“Unfortunately, yes.In his hometown”
Maya’s eyes narrowed. “Alone.”
Ava sighed. “Don’t make this worse.”
But Maya leaned up on her elbows, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Then I guess it’s time you know the truth.”
Ava groaned. “What now?”
Maya’s face was dead serious. “Ethan Cole… is a vampire.”
Ava snorted. “Please.”
“Think about it!” Maya waved her hands like she was revealing state secrets. “He’s Unnaturally beautiful, he sleeps During boring lectures, his gaze is cold and sexy.”
“Maya....”
“And don’t tell me you haven’t noticed the way he looks at you. Like you’re dinner.”
Ava laughed so hard she dropped her bag. “Oh my God, stop!”
But Maya kept going, relentless. “I’m telling you, bring garlic. And a wooden stake.”
“Maya!”
“What?” Her roommate grinned wickedly. “I’m just trying to keep you alive. You’re welcome.”
Ava shook her head, chuckling, but when she finally climbed into Ethan’s car later that morning, the ridiculous warning wouldn’t leave her.
The drive out of town started quiet, the hum of the engine and the blur of trees filling the silence. Ethan looked irritatingly calm at the wheel, one hand resting casually on the gearshift, the other draped along the steering wheel like he’d been born knowing how to make driving look attractive.
“So,” he said eventually, voice lazy, “are you always this quiet, or is it just me?”
Ava glanced at him. “Maybe I just don’t like small talk.”
He smirked. “Or maybe you’re nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” she shot back too quickly.
His smirk widened. “Sure, princess.”
She folded her arms, refusing to give him the satisfaction. But Maya’s voice echoed in her head like a curse. He’s a vampire. He wants to bite you.
Ava glanced at his hands on the steering wheel, his sharp jawline, the faint shadows under his eyes, and cursed herself for even entertaining it.
Still, when Ethan turned to her with that wicked half-smile, she found herself blurting, “Do you… sleep much?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“I mean do you uh stay up late? A lot?”
His grin was immediate, slow and knowing. “Why? Worried about what I do at night?”
Heat rushed to her face. “Forget it.”
He chuckled, clearly enjoying her flustered state, and she sank lower in her seat, wishing Maya would spontaneously combust.
Ethan’s family home surprised her. It wasn’t sleek and modern or eerily gothic. It was… warm. Comfortable. The kind of house that smelled like baked bread and had a front porch swing that begged to be used on summer nights.
And then his mother opened the door.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, pulling Ethan into a hug before turning to Ava. “You must be Ava. Come in, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart.
Ava blinked, caught off guard by the woman’s warmth. “Hi...thank you...I mean....it’s nice to meet you.”
“She’s nervous,” Mrs. Cole said with a knowing smile. “That means she cares what we think.”
“Mom,” Ethan muttered, ears turning faintly pink.
And just like that, Ava had leverage.
Dinner was nothing like she’d expected. Ethan’s father cracked jokes about him through most of the meal, while his little sister bright eyed and wickedly sharp told Ava stories about Ethan’s awkward teenage years.
“And then,” his sister said gleefully, “he tripped on the soccer field and face-planted in front of everyone. Grass in his teeth. Iconic.”
Ava nearly choked on her drink. “No.”
Ethan groaned. “Can we not?”
But his dad jumped in, grinning. “Oh, you should’ve seen him trying to impress the girls at school. He’d lean against lockers like he was in a movie. Fell over twice.”
Ava laughed so hard her stomach hurt, and Ethan’s glare across the table only made it better. For once, he wasn’t in control.
“You’re enjoying this way too much,” he muttered when she finally caught her breath.
“Maybe,” she teased, smirking. “But honestly? It’s kind of nice seeing you get humbled.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, like he was fighting a smile.
After dinner, Ava wandered out onto the porch, the night air cool against her skin. She rocked gently on the swing, staring up at the stars.
She didn’t hear Ethan until he sat down beside her.
“You fit in too easily,” he said after a moment, voice quiet.
She looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“My family. They like you. They don’t like everyone.”
The vulnerability in his tone caught her off guard. She’d never seen him like this unguarded, almost uncertain.
“They’re easy to like,” she admitted. Then, smirking, she added, “And maybe I just like watching them embarrass you.”
That earned her a genuine laugh, low and warm, and it did something strange to her chest.
For a moment, everything felt suspended the night, the stars, the sound of his laugh lingering in the air.
And then Maya’s stupid warning popped back into her head. He’s a vampire.
She stared at his profile in the moonlight the sharp lines of his jaw, the almost too-perfect stillness and suddenly whispered, “You’re not actually a vampire, right?”
Ethan blinked, then turned to her slowly, lips twitching. “What?”
“I mean not that I think you are, obviously because that would be insane but”
He burst out laughing. Full-on, head-tilted-back, can’t-breathe laughing.
Ava buried her face in her hands. “Forget I said anything!”
“Oh my God,” he wheezed, still laughing. “Did Maya put you up to this?”
Her silence was answer enough.
He smirked, leaning closer. “So you think I’m dangerous, huh?”
She peeked at him through her fingers. “No!”
“Yes.” His grin was wicked. “You’re scared I’m going to bite you.”
Her face went hot. “Shut up!”
He leaned even closer, his voice a low tease. “Don’t worry, princess. If I did bite you… you’d like it.”
Her jaw dropped, words failing her completely.
Ethan just sat back, smug and infuriating, clearly delighted by her reaction.
And Ava?
She hated how her pulse wouldn’t calm down.
The night stretched on, soft and humming, the Cole family slowly retreating into their rooms until the house grew quiet. Ava sat on the porch swing a few minutes longer, trying to calm the chaos in her chest.
She shouldn’t be flustered. She hated Ethan. Or at least, she was supposed to. But sitting with him under the stars, hearing him laugh like that… it had shifted something.
By the time she stepped back inside, Ethan was leaning casually against the staircase, arms crossed, watching her.
“You done stargazing?” he asked, his tone easy but his eyesGod, those eyes were sharp, like they saw more than she wanted him to.
“Maybe,” she muttered.
“Come on,” he said, pushing off the wall. “I’ll show you where you’re staying.”
She expected a guest room. Neat. Neutral. Forgettable.
Instead, he opened the door to a room that screamed teenage Ethan a mix of old soccer trophies, posters half-ripped off the walls, and a bed that looked way too comfortable for someone who supposedly brooded all the time.
“This is… your room,” she said, stepping in cautiously.
“Was my room,” he corrected. “You get it tonight.”
She blinked. “Where are you...”
“Couch,” he cut in, smirking. “Unless you’re offering to share.”
Her face burned. “Absolutely not.”
“Didn’t think so,” he chuckled, leaning against the doorframe. “But hey, can’t blame a guy for trying.”
She rolled her eyes, but her heart was doing somersaults.
The room felt strangely intimate like walking into a part of him he didn’t usually let people see. She trailed her fingers along the edge of a bookshelf, pausing at a photo of him as a kid, gap-toothed and grinning.
He noticed. “Don’t laugh.”
“I’m not,” she said softly, smiling despite herself. “You were cute.”
“Were?” His smirk returned instantly. “So I’m not cute anymore?”
“Not what I said.”
“Sounded like it.”
She huffed, setting the photo back down. “You’re impossible.”
For a while, there was silence. He leaned against the frame, watching her with that lazy focus that made her skin prickle, while she tried very hard not to meet his gaze.
And then, against her better judgment, she whispered, “You know… if you were a vampire… this room would be a really bad cover story.”
His brows shot up before he grinned, slow and wolfish. “You’re still thinking about that?”
“No,” she said too quickly.
“Yes,” he teased. “You can’t get the idea out of your head.”
She crossed her arms. “It’s not my fault Maya’s insane.”
He stepped into the room, closing the distance just enough to make her pulse race. “So tell me, princess… are you scared of me?”
Her throat went dry. “No.”
“Liar.” He tilted his head, eyes glinting. “You think I’m dangerous.”
Her breath hitched, but she forced a smirk. “Please. The most dangerous thing about you is your ego.”
That earned her a laugh, deep and low, and it melted something in her chest.
But then he leaned closer, his voice dropping. “Maybe you should be scared.”
Her heart skipped. “And why’s that?”
He smiled, devilish. “Because if I were a vampire… you’d be the first person I’d want to bite.”
Ava froze. Her brain short-circuited. Her body betrayed her with a shiver she prayed he hadn’t noticed.
The silence stretched thick, charged until she finally muttered, “You’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe,” he said softly, almost to himself.
But his eyes lingered on her a moment longer before he finally stepped back, heading toward the door.
“Get some sleep, Ava,” he said, his voice low. “Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.”
And then he was gone, leaving her in his room, her heart pounding, her mind a mess of laughter, irritation, and something dangerously close to wanting.
She lay in his bed that night, staring at the ceiling, every creak of the old house magnified.
She told herself she wasn’t thinking about him.
She told herself Maya’s stupid vampire warning wasn’t why she kept glancing at the door, half-expecting him to appear.
But mostly, she told herself she wasn’t falling.
And didn’t believe it for a second.
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