by Arizona Tape
“You’ve noticed that?” I blushed. I just wanted to make sure she didn’t get hurt. It was one of the reasons I accepted I was so into her. I cared more for her than I should have.
“Yes. It’s adorable. I like it a lot.”
“That’s good.” She nodded without any words and stared up to the ceiling, a soft look on her face. She looked pretty content and casual, the nerves gone. I wondered if I even heard her right and didn’t just imagine it. I never met anyone this straightforward, yet who would hold back just as much. It was confusing.
Heather folded her arms behind her head. “I like how you make me feel. I get this funny feeling in my stomach when you grin at me and when you hold me at night, I feel warm and safe. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that before.”
“Oh… You really like sleeping in my bed,” I said, quite amazed. She never said something about that or tried to crawl out of my bed, but I was never sure if she liked it.
“Yes, I do. You seem surprised?”
“I am. I was never really sure if you just let me.. Be… Girlfriendy.”
“Why would I do that?” Heather turned her head.
“Cause you feel intimidated by me?”
She snickered and shook her head in amusement. “I used to be, yes. But you’re not a mean person. You’re soft and tender inside.”
“Don’t say that,” I blushed.
“But you are.”
“Just with you,” I admitted.
She smiled and grazed her fingers over my knee. “I like that.”
The spot she just touched felt smouldering warm and spread heat from my leg all the way down to my toes and up to my chest. I sighed in contentment and I wanted to stay here in the sunny meadow with her forever, to just stare at her and watch the smile on her lips.
“I’m in love with you,” I blurted out, even shocking myself. These were words that hadn’t left my lips for a very long time. A very very long time, actually. “I haven’t told anyone that in at least hundred years…” I blushed, my cheeks heating up. I couldn’t believe I confessed my feelings for her so bluntly.
A shy grin appeared on her face, her eyes sparkled. I could feel her watch me as my words slowly sank in. Her grin turned into a smile and it was the most beautiful smile I’d seen. And I just knew she felt the same. It was that kind of smile. My heart jumped up in my chest and that same smile appeared on my face. And at that moment, all my worries disappeared.
“I’m in love with you too,” she whispered, confirming what I just felt. Heather was in love with me.
We sat in silence, just blushing and smiling, stealing glances. Wondering how this happened, how we were both in love with each other and hadn’t known. But I mostly wondered how and when Heather fell in love with me. Girls like Heather didn’t just fall in love with girls like me.
“So… You haven’t been in love for almost a hundred years?” she asked, her voice light in curiosity.
“Not like this, no.”
“Oh mmmm…. Good,” she smiled. She took my hand in hers and softly rubbed her thumb over the back of it. She hummed and stared into the distance.
I shook my head in amusement. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she denied.
“I know there is, I can feel you thinking about it.”
“It’s just that… Ehmm… Well… You’re so much older than me. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“Well, no? If that were the case, I wouldn’t have fallen for you, would I?”
“I have the age of a baby in your world.”
“We’re not in my world. We’re in yours, and here you’re an adult. I’m ancient here,” I mused.
She bit her lip. “True. But you get what I mean. We’re very different in age. How does that even work? Why are you—”
“Still so childish?” I interrupted, snorting loudly.
“I was going to go with not grandma-like, but… Well…”
I smiled. After so many months, this was the first time she said something about our ages. She must have been wondering about that since the beginning though.
“We develop like you do, up to the age of 25. Then we just stay like that for a couple of centuries. It’s a transition phase for us. We go to school during those years, but we get to try lots and lots of subjects, before having to specialise and pick more courses,” I tried. It was difficult to explain. People often confused age with experience.
“Age is just the number of years you’ve been around. It doesn’t say anything about what level of maturity you should be at then. Some people mature much faster than others, and others much slower. Some people stay children for their whole lives. Others have to be adults when they are still children. It all depends what you experience in life. In a human life, tragedies come and follow each other in a rapid pace, causing the emotional age to go up much faster. Death. Failure. Responsibility. At least, that’s how I read it in my books. They throw you in the deep end at a sudden age, expecting you to be able to handle anything.”
Heather frowned and scratched the back of my head. “That’s true. Although, that isn’t the case anymore now. Not completely though.”
“I don’t know, you’ll have to tell me how it all goes over here. But my point is, since we live so long and are so strong, death doesn’t play a big part in our existence. There is no poverty, no race, no sexism, no homophobia. People are generally much happier. And happy people don’t tend to dig inside of themselves. Ignorance is bliss.”
“Fair enough,” she hummed.
“You do age a lot faster than me… Physically, I mean.”
Heather pulled a face. “In forty years, you’ll still be this young and I’ll be getting wrinkly.”
The wind fluttered through my hair and I brushed my hand over the grass. “I don’t mind.”
She crinkled her little nose. “Okay, but in hundred years, I’ll be under the ground. Not like under the ground, under the ground. I mean buried. And you’ll still be like this.”
“That’s a valid point. Seems like troubles for later, no? I mean, who says we’ll even make it that far?” I tried deflecting the question. It seemed like a lot to worry about and somewhere, I was sure she’d find someone else that suited her better.
“For later? It’s quite important isn’t it? We’re different species.”
“Technically. Our age difference won’t be showing for a couple of years. We can figure it out along the way?”
“Yes, you’re right.”
“I don’t think I’m too old. Unless you have an issue with it?”
Heather shook her head and grinned. “I don’t. I always had a thing for older guys… Girls. Ehmm....”
“Guys. You’ve never been with a girl, right?”
Heather pulled a face. “Errr… No?”
“What about guys?”
“I used to have a boyfriend when I was sixteen? We didn’t work out because I was too independent,” she chuckled.
“And you two…” I hinted, not wanting to ask up front. I never picked her for a virgin, but if she was, I had to know.
“Oh yes, but just a couple of times.”
“Ah.”
Oooookay then…
At least not a virgin. But not much experience either. “What about girls?”
“I’ve never been with a girl. You’re the first. Well, you’d be the first. I mean, fuck, you know what I mean,” she muttered, looking down at the ground and plucking grass. Her cheeks turned a pinkish shade as she hid her face in her hands.
“Oh… Good,” I said, even myself hearing the smugness in my voice.
“You’re smug.”
“A bit. I like that I’m your first,” I smiled, making her blush even more. “So… We… Are we, ehmm… A thing?”
“A thing?”
“Areweacouple?” I mumbled, trying to make her feel more at ease, by showing her that I was also uncomfortable. Usually, that worked for her. This time, it did as well. A faint smile appeared on her lips.
“A what? Articulate please,” she nudged playfully, winking so I knew she was just kidding.
I groaned. “Are we a couple now?”
She smiled, her eyes twinkling in the sunlight. “I’d like to think so.”
“So, yes?”
“Yes.”
I let a full grin grow on my face and embraced all the flutters in my stomach. She wanted me. There was no need to hold back my hopes and keep myself from dreaming about her. She just agreed to be with me. With me. Only me. She liked me, the same way I liked her.
I gazed straight into her dark blue eyes, which looked much lighter than usual. She was staring back at me with a new glow apparent and when she smiled, her pretty pink lips curled up.
“So now it’s you and me. Us?” I asked, telling myself this was the last time I asked for confirmation.
Heather grinned and shook her head in amusement. “Yes. We.”
A light, fluttery feeling grew from the pit of my stomach and bubbled all the way up to my head. A bigger grin appeared on my face and I felt a bit lightheaded. Joyful.
“Aaah… We,” I sighed in content, letting myself fall on my back in the grass, my limbs spread out as the sun tickled my skin.
“You like?”
“Very much.”
Heather pushed herself up and crawled over to me, falling down next to me. Her head coincidentally found my shoulder when she curled up into me. “Me too,” she whispered, her breath soft and warm on my cheek.
I turned my head and found her eyes again, to make sure I wasn’t mistaken before, but the light was still visible in her blue pools.
Shyly, I bit my lip and brought my head closer to her, making sure there wasn’t one hint of hesitation when I sealed the kiss. And there wasn’t. I hovered above her, catching her smile. Her lips parted slightly and she closed her eyes. I took that as a sign and I found her, pressing the softest of kisses on her lips.
We kissed many times before, but never like this.
Our lips met and I could feel a spark ignite in my stomach that quickly electrified my whole body and very soon jumped over to Heather. I could feel everything. Every blade of grass tickling the back of my neck, the wind through my hair, the sunlight tickling my forehead, the gentle pressure of her head on my shoulder, her sweet scent prickling in my nostrils, the tender skin of her cheek under my fingertips. Everything was palpable.
And then she parted her lips, her tongue touched mine and everythin changed.
The grass disappeared and the wind stopped. The warmth I felt wasn’t from the sun anymore, but it was from her touch. Her scent intensified and I could taste her on my tongue.
There was nothing but Heather. Only Heather.
Always only Heather.
Chapter 7: Discoveries
I pulled back from the kiss and gazed at Heather. She had her eyes still closed, but a slight smirk was playing on her lips. She definitely felt the difference too, otherwise she wouldn’t have looked so… Smug?
Heather’s eyes fluttered open and blushed under my gaze. “That was nice…” she whispered shyly, making me smile broadly.
“Very nice. And since I’m now your girlfriend, my lips are at your disposal anytime you like,” I joked, making her blush even harder. The tension from earlier seemed to have evaporated into the air and we settled into our comfortable routine. I stroked a lost lock of hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek while doing so. I wandered my fingers under her chin and urged her closer, placing my lips again on hers, rejoicing when she immediately answered my kiss.
Oh, how long I dreamt of this to happen.
She sighed and our fingers intertwined. It felt so blissful. All the annoying, yipping voices in my head were silent, and it had been a long time since it was so quiet.
“Shall I show you more of our world?” my girlfriend asked.
“That’d be lovely,” I smiled, bringing her hand up to my lips and kissing the back.
“Alrighty, I’ll show you all my favorite spots.”
“Oh, I’d love to discover all your favorite… Spots,” I grinned, a flirty tone in my voice, making her shake her head in amusement. We always had chemistry, but the routine and danger had dulled our fireworks. But here, in this world, everything was new and we could be and do anything we liked.
“I’m sure you would,” she chuckled, making me glad we could make these kind of jokes. It was true though, I always admired Heather’s body. I also knew I would have to take things slowly and make sure that she was absolutely certain.
Heather tugged on my hand and we strolled down the hill. She briefly turned around and waved with her free hand to the horse. “Bye horsie, see you soon.”
The grass underneath our shoes changed into pavement and we quickly returned to a busier part of the world. I could smell it.
“This is the common ground. It’s kinda like a big park where people hang out when they have time off. Look, little benches and places for children to play. There are swings and sandboxes, but also a quieter part with little tables and small, small lakes.”
“It’s nice,” I said, while looking around. It felt calm, even though it was filled with people. I could hear almost everything, but if I filtered, it was just a typical crowded buzz. I watched a woman pass us by, pushing a stroller and I caught a glimpse of her toddler.
How fascinating. In our world, we didn’t see many babies. We weren’t able to just get pregnant, like other mammals, so there were no accidents. Only planned childbirth. And even then, you couldn’t just take a kid. You had to be in a committed relationship with your partner for more than three centuries. Then you could make a request to the board, who would inquire into the situation and if you were given the green light, the procedures would start. DNA samples would be taken from both parents, the chromosomes divided into sister cells and then they got mixed. We were even able to match same sex partners, something to do with invention of an ‘empty’ cell. It was a reproductive cell without specific chromosome markers. It had the full function of an egg cell or a sperm cell, as in, the cell knew the function, what it was meant to do in the body, but it could be filled in, in any way we want.
It was creepy and this way, we basically constructed babies, but it was a consequence of the mutated gene in our bodies due to overpopulation. It wasn’t so much a pregnancy, as advanced dual-cloning. So we had a certified board that made ethical decisions and kept everything right, in a way adoption would work.
A little bit like building your own child and collecting it later. It sounded horrible, but that was the way it went. With extensive research and mutation, we stood a chance to change our DNA, but no luck so far. It seemed the vampire species was too far gone. Nothing much to do about it, but accept this was the only way to keep our race alive.
We read it in the books though. We saw pictures of pregnancies and read about the bonds children and mothers made in the womb. And with the longing to have that bond, to fulfil that primary need, came an inherent jealousy.
But here, I could count the women with bulking bellies. They were parading around, hands on their back to support the weight or lovingly stroking their tummy. Men would press their ears against them, to hear the little one move or to feel the baby kick. It was very endearing to watch and it made me curious, made me want to feel and listen for myself too.
“Ade? What’s wrong?” my girl asked, swiping her fingers over my cheek to grab my attention. I cocked my head to the side in confusion as I met her eyes.
“Nothing’s wrong?” I asked, not sure what she meant.
“So what’s that look in your eyes?”
“What look?” I inquired.
“That… I don’t know… A nostalgic look? What are you thinking about?”
“Ehmm… Oh, it’s nothing. Can we just go sit there on a bench for a moment and look at it all?” I waved her concern away, pretending I was fine. Her dark blue eyes pierced into mine and a shiver ran down my spine. For a moment, it seemed like she saw straight into my
soul and I felt the tension hanging between us. She knew something was up, but it was a matter of if she was going to let it pass.
After a couple of seconds, she shrugged and her gaze dropped. “Yes, of course,” she grinned awkwardly, apparently deciding to let my strange behaviour slide. Luckily.
We walked hand in hand over to a lonely bench and sat down, my arm wrapped around her shoulder and her hand resting on my leg. It felt very homey to just sit here and watch people talk to each other and children play. We were silent for a little while, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the scenery in each other’s company.
There were very tiny trees, with thin branches and little leaves. Much smaller than anything I’d ever seen. And little rocks, patches of green grass, and tiny puddles with clear water.
I saw men with hats and canes, women in fluttery dresses, and children running behind each other. There was a horde of giggling girls in one corner looking at a gang of older boys, who were pretending to be all cool and not noticing them. How similar.
Just when I thought I took everything in, something nudged against my ankle. I swiped against my calf, trying to swat it away, but very tiny teeth bit me.
“Ouch,” I yelped, looking down. A little brown fuzzy ball was wrapped around my foot, digging its little paws in the ground and growling at my hand. “Err… What is that?” I asked, pulling an eyebrow up in confusion. What creature would dare to attack me?
Heather snickered and extended her hand, ruffling the fuzzy animal between its flappy ears. “This, this is a little puppy.”
“A dog?”
She nodded her head. “Yes, a baby dog.”
“Ohh… Why is it attacking me?” I questioned, my head cocked to the side, studying the puppy rolling on its back. Heather tickled its soft belly and it happily ran its feet in the air
“It’s not attacking you, silly, it wants to play.”