The vampire and the wife

Chapter 10

I'd grabbed a quick shower, changed, and brought my clothes down for the wash. I could feel both Xander and Zack's eyes on me as they seemed to watch me from the living room.

"Your certainly in a better mood than I've seen you in days." Dorian muttered.

"I guess I woke up in a good mood and just made sure that I had a good day to keep this going." I shrugged as I came back into the living room after putting on the washer and the kettle. "You said I wasn't allowed to sit and wallow in self-pity any more, so I took your advice and got out and I'll admit, I'm starting to feel better." I ducked back into the kitchen as I began to raid the cupboards for something to eat and found some cup soups, so I decided to have that. I opened the packet, tipped it into the cup, poured in the hot water and stirred it until it resembled some type of soup.

"It's nice to see this, Rosa." Dorian muttered as he came in from the living room to me. "So what did you and mutt do?"

"Took the other mutt for a walk." I shrugged. "Fresh air and good company, it seems, are the keys to it all."

"Other mutt?" Dorian asked, a little confused.

"Shadow. His Husky dog." I couldn't help but laugh. "Hunter calls him a mutt, so I figured if he calls him it, it's ok for me to call him it." I grinned as I took a sip of the soup and winced a little at the heat as it burned my tongue a little. "So what did I miss here?" I asked.

"Nothing much really, except tonight I need to go out, so I'll leave Zack with you." I noticed how Dorian's face seemed to turn to stone at the idea of having to go out.

"Oh, are you going to..."

"See him, yeah. He's asked to meet me." Dorian muttered. I looked down at my cup, not sure how I felt about the fact that my best friend had to go and play nicely with my ex. I wasn't so sure that Dorian would play nicely, but I could only hope.

"Can I ask you a favour?" I asked quietly as I looked up at him. I could feel my mood beginning to drain away. "Please be nice to him; don't get mad and shout at him even though he deserves it." I could see confusion wash over Dorian's face, as if asking why, considering everything he's done.

"But he deserves it, though." Dorian protested.

"I know, but... I need to move on and so does he and at the minute, your like a reminder of the past, or you are to me." I'd hoped he wouldn't take it in a bad way, as I'd certainly not meant it in a bad way at all.

"Fine." Dorian grumbled. "As long as you apologise to Zack for your drunken outburst about being an assassin."

A smile cracked across my face at the memory. "I'll apologise for how I dropped that bomb, but not for what I said because it's true." I shrugged casually.

"There's no talking to you." Dorian laughed.

"Same for you." I grinned and then tried to drink the soup again but burned my tongue again. "God damnit!" I put the cup on the side and let out a sigh as Dorian laughed.

"Better get going, Ro. See you later." He winked, left the kitchen, and then headed into the room to see Zack. I stood with my back against the worktop as I closed my eyes a little. I knew that today was too good to last. I knew today's happy mood would come crashing down around me and would make me pay for the little bit of happiness and freedom I'd found for the day.

I looked at the soup and decided I couldn't stomach it, so I tipped it down the sink and put the cup in the sink too as I wondered into the living room, not realising Dorian had already gone. I went and sat in the chair near the fire that Dorian must have lit earlier and I hadn't noticed. I grabbed my black fleece blanket and wrapped it around me, watching the flames as my mind began to wonder back to when I used to do it at the house while waiting for Xander.

"Rosa?" I shook my head and looked at Zack with a smile. "You ok?"

"Mmm, as ok as I can be." I let out a sigh and then looked at the TV. "What are you watching?"

"No idea." Zack shrugged, which made me laugh a little. "Did you have fun today?" He turned off the TV and shifted where he was sitting to focus on me and the conversation.

"It was a nice break." I told him simply as I heard my phone beep. "Give me a minute." I went into the hallway and took my phone out of my coat pocket to find a text message from Hunter.

Thank you for today; I really did enjoy myself. We'll have to go out again some other time, without Shadow.

I walked back into the living room, blushing a little as I typed back a quick message saying I'd enjoyed myself too and thanking him for the invite to walk Shadow and that we would have to go out again some other time. I put the phone on the arm of the chair and wrapped up in my blanket again.

"Well, something must have happened if you're blushing like that."

"Nothing did." I answered, looking at Zack. "Except we said we both needed to do it again, as we enjoyed the company more than anything." I let out a sigh, rested my head back against the back of the chair and closed my eyes. "There's really nothing between us except understanding and a sort of peace." I shrugged, not sure how to explain it. "Hunter lost his mate... So he understands, he's not bad company and he is certainly a change from Dorian and you. And I mean no offence by that."

"None taken. I know Dorian was happy to see you in a better mood today. He said, as much as he hates the mutt, if this is what it takes to get you back on your feet, then so be it."

I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head a little at the comment, as I could really hear Dorian making that comment too. "Typical Dorian." I looked down at my lap and let out a slow sigh.

"What's really wrong? I mean, I don't know you as much as Dorian does, but I can see something's eating at you because your in a good mood but it seems like a forced good mood now."

"Please don't tell Dorian." I told Zack. "It's just... when he said he had to go out to see him... It..." I lifted my head to look at him and could feel the tears threatening to spill over. "It just broke me and no matter how much I think about today... it all still eats away at me."

"It will." Zack muttered as he shifted again. "It's still raw at the moment and it's like a cut. It takes time for the layers to mend themselves. In your case, the layers are grief. The anger, the sadness, and the sorrow..."

"Certainly had anger." I couldn't help but laugh. "And by the way, I'm sorry about the way I dropped my old job on you but just know I'm not sorry for my threat, as it will always stand."

Zack laughed a little. "Yeah, I have been meaning to ask you about that since you brought it up. Umm, am I allowed any context around your job?"

"Depends if I'm allowed any context around that night that you and Dorian were talking when I dropped said comment about how you dealt with losing him or something like that?"

Zack laughed. "Sure, I've got no problems telling you what Dorian meant by that."

"I'll go and grab a coffee before I tell you my story, as it's a bit long-winded and messed up. I'm not going to lie." Zack laughed. I unwrapped myself from the blanket and went and made myself a coffee as I stood looking out the window. I was beginning to like Zack and I could see why Dorian loved him too, but what I liked the most about Zack was how easy it had been to talk to him.

Because he knows nothing and he's seeing from all sides except his.

I let out a slow sigh and shook my head as I grabbed a clean cup and went and made my coffee. When I was done, I went and sat back down on the chair and wrapped up again. "This isn't going to be a quick five-minute story."

"Rosa, we have all the darkness to talk about this; even if Dorian turns up, I'll kick him out."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he wants us to get along and have a moment, so I believe that's what we're doing." I couldn't help but laugh at Zack. I really did like Zack and I sure as hell knew that Dorian certainly wasn't going to simply walk all over him, as Zack would hold him responsible for his actions. Just what Dorian needs, someone to rein in him.

"Do me a favour and never leave him." I laughed.

"I don't plan on trust me."