ELLE
Because my mind was so lost in thought, I didn’t even realize that my feet had taken me to the rooftop of the company.
The cool breeze felt wonderful against my skin, but the sadness in my heart wouldn’t go away. Tears continued to flow from my eyes.
I don’t fall in love with someone very often, so why was I going through this?
The image of the two of them kissing flashed through my mind again. Blade’s lips had once touched mine, and it hurt seeing him kiss someone else.
Why was I feeling this way?
I knew he was a Vampire, yet I couldn’t erase my love for him. Why had I fallen for him this deeply?
“Elle!”
My thoughts were interrupted when someone called my name. I turned around and saw the reason why I was feeling this way—Blade.
I quickly turned my back to him and wiped the tears from my eyes. I didn’t want him to see me like this. He might think I was being too dramatic.
“Elle, let me explain.”
I could feel his breath against the back of my neck. He was already standing behind me.
“You d-don’t need to explain anything, Blade. I’m okay.”
I couldn’t face him. It was my own fault that I was hurting. I had simply gotten my hopes up, thinking that he really liked me.
“I have to explain, Elle. I don’t want to see you like this.”
I stopped sobbing when I heard him say that. I didn’t want to get my hopes up again because I might only end up getting hurt even more.
Using his power, Blade quickly moved in front of me. He took one of my hands.
“I’m sorry, Elle.”
“For what? You don’t have to apologize to me, Blade.”
“I’m sorry if I’ve been cold toward you these past few days. I just wanted to give you some space and time.”
He was probably referring to the way we had been ignoring each other. I couldn’t bring myself to answer him. I simply stared at his face.
“I want to give you some time to think. I know you’ve learned a lot about me, and I also know that it’s not easy to process everything.”
He’s right. It wasn’t easy to accept everything I had discovered. My mind and heart had become a complete mess because I didn’t know what to do with all the information I’d learned.
“Two days. You didn’t come to work for two days, Elle, but those two days were incredibly difficult for me.”
He became more serious.
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“Elle, you know that I like you. And I’m scared that it wasn’t just two days you’d disappear. I’m scared that you might leave the company for good.”
I couldn’t leave the company. I desperately needed this job.
“But when you came back, I was almost jumping for joy. I just didn’t show it. I chose to stay quiet and pretend not to notice you.”
Why did he do all that?
“I was afraid you’d leave the company. I couldn’t bear that, Elle, because I love you.”
I felt like I was going to cry again because of what he said, but I held back my tears.
Why was he making me feel this way?
“But we can’t be together, Blade.”
“Why? Don’t you love me?”
I froze at his question.
Was this finally the right time to tell him?
“I-I love you, Blade.”
I saw his smile grow wider.
Finally, I had told him how I felt. It was as though a weight had been lifted from my chest.
“Really? You love me too, Elle?”
“Yes, Blade.”
“F*ck, I’m so happy!”
He pulled me closer and we embraced.
It felt so good to hug the person you loved. I wished we could always be like this. I wished our lives could be filled with nothing but happiness. I was tired of having nothing but problems in my life.
“Thank you, Elle. I love you so much.”
I pulled away from the hug, and the surprise on his face was obvious.
“Why, Elle?”
“Don’t you have a girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend? No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do! The woman you kissed downstairs. Go back to her. She’s probably looking for you.”
I was about to turn away from him when he suddenly pulled me back into his arms.
“She’s not my girlfriend, Elle.”
“Then who is she? Why did she kiss you?”
He laughed at what I said.
“Why are you laughing?”
He released me from his embrace and looked at me.
“You’re cute.”
“Her name is Ellise. She’s my cousin.”
I raised an eyebrow at that.
“Cousin? Then why did she kiss you?”
“I told her about you, and she did that to find out if you had feelings for me. And it looks like she succeeded, didn’t she?”
I looked away when he winked at me.
“Are you sure about that?” I asked.
“Yes. If you want, you can talk to her later.”
I suddenly felt embarrassed. It seemed like he really was telling the truth and that she was only his cousin.
Why did I suddenly cry like that? If I hadn’t let my emotions get the better of me, none of this would have happened. Now I didn’t even know how I was going to face his cousin.
“Is she a Vampire too?”
“Yes.”
His simple answer didn’t surprise me anymore. She was his cousin, after all.
“Don’t mind her anymore, Elle. I just want to enjoy this time with you. Just the two of us. I’m so happy because you’re finally mine.”
“What are you talking about? You haven’t even asked me if I want to be your girlfriend.”
I rolled my eyes at him.
“You said you love me, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but you still have to ask me, Blade. That’s how we humans do it.”
“Okay, wait.”
Blade turned away from me, and I watched as he straightened his clothes. It was actually cute that he was really going to do what I asked.
He turned back toward me.
I was surprised when he suddenly knelt down, as though he were about to propose marriage.
“Elle, can you be my girlfriend?”
He bowed his head slightly and held out his hand toward me.
I wasn’t going to waste any more time.
“Yes, Blade.”
I placed my hand in his. He stood up and pulled me into another embrace.
“I love you, Elle.”
“I love you too, Blade.”
It felt so wonderful. I hoped I had made the right decision.
For the past few days, I had always listened to my mind, telling myself that I shouldn’t pursue my feelings for Blade. But I was happy that, at this moment, I had finally chosen to listen to my heart.
I loved Blade.
All the thoughts that had plagued me over the past few days disappeared. Maybe what Ellise did to Blade earlier really was a blessing in disguise. Perhaps this was the right time for us to finally be together.
“Elle, can I ask you something?”
He pulled away from our embrace.
“Sure, Blade. What is it?”
“Why did you still choose to love me even though I’m a Vampire?”
I thought about his question.
Why did I?
“I love you, Blade, not because of what you are. I love you because you made me feel special and made me feel valued.”
I smiled at him.
“There’s such a huge difference between us, Blade, and I know anyone would be shocked if they found out that I was in a relationship with a Vampire.”
“But with you, I felt what love really is. It doesn’t matter anymore what or who you are. All I know is that I love you, and I’ll always be here whenever you need me.”
The smile on Blade’s face never disappeared after hearing my words.
It was true. I loved him even though he was a Vampire.
“Thank you, Elle. You have no idea how happy I am.”
“I’m happy too because, somehow, we allowed our love to prevail.”
So much had happened today. I still couldn’t believe that Blade and I were finally together.
If only this day didn’t have to end.
The sky was so bright, and I could clearly see the sparkling stars above us. It seemed as though even they were happy about what had happened today.
The sky was a witness to the love between Blade and me.
I looked at Blade’s face again.
So this was what being in love felt like.
You couldn’t keep a beautiful smile from appearing on your face.
“Elle, I just want you to know that now that we’re together, I’ll do my best to control myself and stop doing the things I used to do to you.”
He was referring to how aggressive he had been toward me before.
“I love you, Elle.”
“I love you too, Blade.”
Slowly, our faces moved closer to each other. It felt as though time itself had slowed down, and all we could do was stare into each other’s eyes.
Then I felt his lips touch mine.
We kissed.
I knew I would never get tired of his kisses. They were addictive.
I closed my eyes and savored this moment.
There are moments in life that only come once. So learn to seize them, because sometimes, they bring a kind of happiness that can last forever.