The Seasons

Chapter 20

“Summer?” Summer snapped his eyes over to Autumn, who had now moved and was sitting on the foot of his bed.

“Yeah?”

“I need to tell you something.”

He frowned, but then his eyes widened. Was Autumn going to be the one to confess finally? He had felt it, too, right? They both had feelings for one another, and anyone could see that. But when anyone asked, Summer always replied with just friends. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship. But maybe Autumn was finally going to say it. Maybe Autumn was sick of always being labelled as friends, and this was-

“My mother rang me.” That snapped him out of his thoughts as he stared at the man with wide eyes.

“What did she say?”

Autumn hesitated. “Not much. She wants to see me soon.”

“Are you gonna go?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “What do you think I should do?”

Summer frowned. But that wasn’t his place to say. This was Autumn’s relationship with his parents, not his. And although he hated his parents for turning their back on him, Summer hoped he wouldn’t go. He had seen how devastated Autumn had been when they kicked him out, how much losing his parents had hurt him. He didn’t want to see him hurt like that again. But it wasn’t his place to dictate their relationship. And hell, maybe they had realised they had been wrong; sure, it was eleven years too late, but better late than never.

“Well,” he said, clearing his throat when he realised Autumn had been staring at him. “What do you want to do? Do you want to see them?”

“I do,” he replied, “but they,” he trailed off.

Summer sat up in bed, frowning at him. “But they what?”

Autumn didn’t reply for a good minute. “Never mind. I don’t know if I want to go or not.”

“Do you want to see them?” he repeated, and Autumn cast his eyes to the ground as he nodded.

“I do. I missed them. They were my parents.”

“Who abandoned you.”

Autumn’s head shot up to glare at him, but he said nothing. Summer sighed as he exited the bed, running a hand through Autumn’s soft hair. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. If you want to see them, then you should go.”

“They want me to get married.”

Summer swore his heart skipped a beat as Autumn looked at him. He removed his hand from the copper hair and took a step back. He felt his hands shake and his mouth dry out as he stared at the ground before looking back up, forcing a smile. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to?”

“That’s the condition. If I want my family back, I have to marry this woman they have chosen. I meet with her today.”

“Oh, so you agreed? That’s good; you should meet her, and you’ll get your family back. I know how important they are to you.”

“Summer, I-”

Summer was already slipping on his jacket as he turned to smile at Autumn. “You should marry her. You’ll get your parents back. I’m going out.”

Before Autumn could say anything else, Summer had left his room; he grabbed his keys from the table beside the door and left the house, blinking back tears. But when they fell, he wiped them away aggressively. This was the outcome he had always expected. Autumn wanted a family more than anything. And he knew he couldn’t give him one. This was the right way.

He would grow old and die. And Autumn would live for so much longer with his family.

He kept reminding himself of this as he went to The Seasons, ignoring the odd looks he was receiving of being out in his pyjamas and slipped in to see Wing at the counter, taking a customer’s order. He stood in line, and when it was his turn, Wing frowned.

“Are you okay? Why are you out in your pyjamas?”

“I want vodka. Give me a bottle of vodka.”

“Summer, you know we don’t sell alcohol during the day.”

“Oh, s**t, you look horrible. What the hell happened to you?” Summer turned to stare at Rosalyn, who was frowning from a grey booth beside the large windows; Elizabeth sat across her, basking in the sunlight.

He slipped out of the line, walked over to the blonde vampire, and stared at her blankly. “I want you to make me a vampire.”

Rosalyn spat out her drink as she looked around, ensuring no one overheard him. “Summer!” she hissed.

“I don’t care. I know you can do it. Bite me.”

Elizabeth peeled her eyes away from her girlfriend to stare at him. “No.”

“Why the f**k not?” he snapped.

“I don’t want to.”

“But you can help me.”

“No, Summer.”

“Why not?” he repeated.

“Oh, you are not having this conversation here,” Rosalyn deadpanned; she stood up, grabbed Elizabeth’s hand and Slaine’s arm and walked behind the bar. “We’re using the back room.”

Wing opened his mouth to say something but then just sighed, shrugging.

Once inside, Rosalyn closed the door and whirled around to glare at him. “Slaine, what the hell. You know you can’t talk about it so openly? What if a human overheard?”

“I don’t care. Elizabeth is a vampire, and I want her to turn me.”

“And I’ve already said no,” she replied blankly. “Now, are we done? I want to go and sit in the sun.”

“Why won’t you turn me?”

“Because I can’t.”

“You’re lying.”

“I am not.”

“Yes,” Summer said, tugging on his hair. “You are.”

“Summer. What’s happened; why are you asking so much? And why didn’t you change clothes?”

“You two are in love, right?” he asked instead, staring between the two women.

Rosalyn grinned as she held Elizabeth’s hand in hers. “Yep. Why?”

“And the fact that you’re a werewolf and she’s a vampire doesn’t bother you?”

“No.”

“And can beta’s have mates? Like alphas and omegas can?”

Rosalyn frowned. “Is this about Autumn?”

“Just answer the question, Rosalyn!” he yelled. If he became a vampire, even if he wasn’t in a relationship with Autumn, he could still stay by his side, could he not? He would avoid the sun and drink the blood, meaning he could stay beside him, right?

“Don’t speak to her like that,” Elizabeth hissed. “Or I will kill you, and I won’t bring you back. Do you understand?”

Summer gritted his teeth but nodded. “Please, just answer the question.”

He just wanted answers. Would he accept him if he told Autumn he had feelings for him? Or reject him. Would he be able to stay by Autumn’s side as a vampire? He slumped onto the ground, exhausted. He just wanted answers.

~*~