the sound of her heart beat

Promptly turning around and snapping the boy’s neck as soon as the door closed behind them, Askatla heard Arvid’s question. The girl huffed loudly and looked down at the boys twisted neck. “**Arvid, are you serious? This was supposed to be our fun time out. I thought you hadn’t gone soft?”

Caroline had been surprised to find Arvid sleep addled at midday, even though it was quite predictable for a vampire. But she was hardly as perplexed as he was, and continued to be, at her request. “Thank you!” When he finally answered her, she almost squealed, throwing her arms in delight, before stepping back sheepishly. “Dinner’s at eight. And yeah, they wouldn’t decline wine.” She grinned, before frowning. “I should probably mention that they’re going to joke about shooting you. My dad isn’t serious about it, but my mom kinda is. So, watch out for the tiny Southern lady.”

{ @arvidxolofsson​ }

Caroline gave Arvid a slightly apologetic glance, cautiously beginning to speak. “So…I need a favor.” And it’s a motherfucking doozy. Not waiting for his reaction, she continued. “Um. so, as you know, I visited my family over Christmas. And one thing you should know about them is that they’re pretty traditional in a lot of ways. Not, like, crazy traditional. But you know, they’re not fans of premarital sex and also happen to be desperate for grandchi — wait, I’m making this sound worse than it is, lemme start over.” She took a deep breath, shaking her head. “What I’m trying to say, is that after Christmas dinner, my mom and grandma cornered me…you know, asking about when I’m going to have my big white wedding and start popping out babies which I don’t even want. And, you know, kind of insinuating that I was going to be an old maid. So…I kinda cracked under pressure.” There was a certain futility to arguing with her mother. “I told them I have a human boyfriend who I’ve been dating for a few months. Which I figured would be fine, until my parents said they were planning a day trip to the City, and want us to have dinner with them. SoIneedyoutoactmundaneforanight.” The last stretch came out in a single breath, as Caroline gave the vampire a slightly pleading look. “Please?” 

Askatla rolled her eyes, making sure her brother could see. She made eye contact with the boy as he made his way toward her, holding two drinks in his hand. As soon as he got close enough, the smell from the drink hit her. She could tell it was not just alcohol. Askatla had to stop herself from laughing at the boy, he was honestly trying to drug her. She knew vampires had a resistance to drugs and decided she would rather play into his plan. Taking the drink from the boy and knocking it back, she could feel her body fighting off the effects of the drug. It made her slightly more tired but not enough to really affect her. Though, of course, she wasn’t going to let him know that. 

The girl leaned onto the boy, giggling, “I must be a lightweight. Is there anywhere we can sit down?” She watched as a grin passed over the boys face and he whispered in her ear that he knew of a place. She let him lead her through the crowd of people and into a secluded room.