Page 49 of Ghoul Kisses

Vanessa rolls her eyes and ignores Eric.

“Which room are we staying in?” she asks me.

“The top floor,” Eric answers. We follow him to the elevator, and I remain quiet, studying Vanessa’s behavior. She seems to be a little off. Normally, she would be drilling me with questions about what I’m doing, but she seems like she is in another world. I wish she would talk to me about what is going on with her. The elevator comes to a stop, and the doors whistle open. Eric presses his keycard to the plate on the door, and the green light flickers. He pushes it open. The penthouse looks elegant. The walls are a beige color, and a flat screen hangs on the wall above the fireplace. Eric gives us a tour of the penthouse and it has a kitchen with granite countertops, and a stainless steel fridge, fully stocked with food. He shows Vanessa to her room.

She closes the door behind her, as Eric and I walk to our room. I flop on the bed as Eric unpacks our bags. What I learned about Eric is he is a neat freak and likes to have his stuff in a particular place. I am the total opposite. I like to leave my clothes on the floor or when I take off my shirt I will throw it on the couch. I watch him go to the bathroom and line up my feminine products on the right side of the counter; he then lines up his manly stuff on the left. He marches back into the room, and changes into a pair of swim shorts. My mind drifts to Vanessa and I can’t help but worry about her. Eric sits next to me on the bed.

“Let’s get in the jacuzzi,” he says with a boyish grin.

“Cool, I’ll invite Nessa.” Maybe I can help her out of her slump. After all, it is her birthday week. I rummage through the suitcase and find the bikini that Eric bought me. I remove my clothes, put on the bikini, and slide on a pair of denim shorts. Eric throws a towel at me.

I stroll to Nessa’s room and knock on the door.

“Vanessa, are you up?”

She doesn’t respond, so I turn the doorknob and slowly swing it open.

Vanessa lies on the bed, with only her pink lace underwear on. She has two bite marks on her inner thighs. What the hell? On her dresser, I see medicine resembling iron pills. I pick the package up and examine it. Maybe they are experimental drugs that haven’t released on the market yet. I set the package down, pull the blanket over Vanessa’s body, and walk out of the room. I stroll to the living area and Eric stands by the door.

“She’s asleep,” I tell Eric as he leads me outside to a hot tub next to our private pool. The city lights twinkle and you can hear car horns blowing. The weather is warm. I dip my body into the steaming water as Eric holds my hand. I straddle his lap and kiss the bridge of his nose. It feels good to get away from the island, away from the paranormal world. Eric kisses the side of my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

“I’m worried about Vanessa. She has these red pil—”

Eric places his index finger on my lips.

“You’re tense, you need to relax. Your human friend will be okay.”

“I don’t think you understand; humans don’t have healing abilities like ghouls.”

The thought of losing Vanessa causes my chest to tighten. She is my sister. We might not share the same blood but I consider her family.

“That’s not a human disease she has,” Eric says.

“What did you say?” I ask him, what does he mean by not a human disease?

“Nothing, let’s enjoy this time together.” He nibbles on my neck, and I melt into his embrace. I feel him tugging on my top, loosening the strings. He removes my top and tosses it aside. My nipples harden, and his shaft grows between my legs as he flashes me a boyish grin. Instantly, desire blossoms in the pit of my stomach. Eric unfastens his drawstring on his boxers.

“What are you doing? Someone will see us!” I glance around making sure no one is watching from the adjoining buildings.

“Let’s give them a show,” he winks seductively.

We make love under the moonlight.

The sun lights up the room, blinding me. Eric lies naked on top of the covers, his face buried in the fluffy white pillow. I roll out of bed, shower, and put on a pair of black shorts and a white tank top. I am going to take advantage of the sun this week. Living in a place where the sun comes out every three months can cause you to look as pale as a vampire. When I stroll into the kitchen, I smell bacon, eggs, and grits in the air. Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off plays from the stereo in the living room. Vanessa dances in the kitchen. She wears a tank top with tiny shorts. She pops bacon in her mouth, and it reminds me of when we were in college.

She has color to her skin, and her brown hair doesn’t look dull.

Did I miss something here? I prop myself on the counter and she turns around, almost dropping the skillet on the floor.

“I’m sorry to wake you,” she says as she sets the skillet on the counter. I grab the remote from the breakfast nook and turn down the music.

“Are you okay, Vanessa?”

She gives me a cheerful smile.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

I am confused. Last night, she was distant, and didn’t want to talk to me; now, she is smiling like she hit the lottery.

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