Bloodbound Desires

Grumpy!

I woke up to the gentle rays of morning sunlight filtering through the curtains of my room. Still feeling groggy, I stumbled my way to the kitchen, with only one thing on my mind, coffee!

As I reached the kitchen, a small envelope caught my eye, beneath the door. I picked it up, and then put it on the workspace, thinking about my mission of drinking as much coffee as possible.

After, the machine got to work and started brewing, I realized that the name on the card was mine.

I took it and unfolded the paper and read the contents, my breath catching in my throat.

Subject: Warning of Legal Action

Dear Eva Rivers,

We are writing to inform you of the serious consequences that await should you choose to return to Moonlight Manor Casino. After careful consideration of your past actions at our establishment, we regretfully inform you that we will pursue legal action against you if you disregard this warning.

We must stress the importance of respecting our policies and regulations, as well as the well-being and comfort of our patrons. It is crucial that you understand the gravity of the situation and refrain from any attempts to enter our premises.

We trust that you will heed this warning and avoid any further issues. Failure to comply will result in the commencement of legal proceedings against you.

Sincerely,

Jillian Bennett

H.R. Director

Moonlight Manor Casino

I was so f*****g embarrassed, that I fused to Nora’s room and called her.

“Nora, you’re not going to believe this!”

“I want to sleep. Come back…when I’m awake,” she muttered.

"I received this letter from the casino. They're threatening to sue me if I ever go back!" I shoved it in her hand, after finding it.

I put the light on, but I didn’t draw the curtains. I felt selfish at the idea of not waiting for her to wake up, but my anxiety took over me as my natural instinct was to tell her.

"Maybe it's a blessing in disguise," she replied, her tone tinged with lightness. "You can't keep throwing away your hard-earned money on gambling. This might be the wake-up call you needed."

"I know, Nora. It's just... I feel so ashamed of what I did there. How could I have let myself get carried away like that?"

Nora's voice softened, her reassurance washing over me like a soothing balm. "Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. We all make mistakes. What matters now is that you learn from them. Tomorrow is our graduation day, Eva. It's a celebration of your achievements. That's what we should focus on."

Her words breathed new life into my weary spirit, a flicker of excitement igniting within me. Graduation day represented a significant milestone, after years of hard work and dedication.

"You're right, Nora," I responded, gratitude infusing my voice. "Tomorrow is a fresh start, a chance to leave the past behind."

"Ugh, not today, Eva. Your crappy coffee is not going to cut it. I need a pick-me-up. Go to Starbucks and get me a tall caramel macchiato with a piece of carrot cake."

Her request caught me off guard, but I knew she was grumpy because I’d woken her up. After all, a trip to Starbucks might just be the perfect excuse to clear my head.

"Alright, Nora. I apologize for waking you up. I didn't realize you were in such a demanding mood this morning."

"I didn't get a good night's sleep, and I need something to keep me going. And don't forget the carrot cake. It's the only thing that can satisfy my craving right now."

"Understood. Give me a few minutes to get ready, and I'll head out to Starbucks."

I left her room and quickly freshened up, slipping into anything I could find. Then I left, whilst grabbing my keys to head to Starbucks.I stepped out into the lively the city streets, inhaling the crisp morning air.

As I crossed the threshold into Starbucks, I gave Nora's and decided to get the same thing for myself.

Hey, If I was getting it for her, then why not?

It was as if I jumped out of my skin, the moment my name was called, because I was looking at the donuts and wondering if they were calling my name. I hated Starbucks, everything just looked too good, and I couldn’t spend all my money I had to save some.

I’d been broke one too many times to not learn from my lessons of the past.

As I stepped back into our apartment, a contented smile tugged at my lips. Nora, still heavy-lidded and disheveled, looked up at me with anticipation dancing in her eyes. I extended the warm cup and the slice of heavenly carrot cake, feeling a surge of warmth between us.

"Here you go, Nora. Your caramel macchiato and carrot cake, just as requested."

“Sorry I snapped at you earlier, Eva,” she sighed as she took it out of my hand and I shut the door.

“Sorry, I woke you up…”

We hugged, and then we got to the mission at hand, which was to tuck into our cake, and then argue about who would go back to get another slice! It happened to us every single time.