Tess“Before you reject me, could I have one last kiss?” Lucas asks in a pained voice. We are sitting on my bed and discussing the rejection that is about to happen.“You want a kiss knowing it will be the last one?” “Yeah? That’s how they do it in all the romantic movies, you know. A terrible goodbye kiss, and then it’s all over. Gotta keep the tradition and all.”I sigh. “Alright, but only because you’re asking for it, okay? It won’t change anything. I’m still rejecting you, and just because it tingles or whatever won’t change a thing.”He grins. “One can hope.”My frustration builds up, and I glare at him. “So that’s why you want the kiss? You’re hoping I will change my mind and magically stop liking Freddy if I kiss your lips?”“Mhm...” He doesn’t even bother hiding it. The utter confidence this guy has is freaking amazing…not my sarcasm.I try not to roll my eyes at the impish grin Lucas is wearing. My days of being nervous around him are over. I’m in love with Freddy, not Lucas

TessThe following day after telling Freddy he is on a trial period, I wake up to someone tapping on the window of my balcony. I tiredly turn my head, eyes stopping on Freddy’s left hand, lifting in a wave while the right one appears from behind his back, holding a bouquet of roses. I arch an eyebrow at him, and he smirks. “Hello, Princess,” he says in a lazy voice, and even though the sun is shining and the birds are singing, he manages to look dark, scary, and way too sexy for what is fair when he says, “You ready to head out on our first date?”I’m baffled. When I told Freddy he can be good if he wants to and asked him to show me that he isn’t evil, I don’t know what I expected, but it surely wasn’t this.“I didn’t—...” I purse my lips, eyes locked on the bouquet of flowers before I hesitantly change my sentence, “Those flowers are beautiful. Are they for me?”“They are,” Freddy says from behind the glassed door, cocking his head to one side. “You have to invite me inside, Princes

Freddy Tess doesn’t respond after I’ve told her that I see my future wife in her. I’m not surprised. I didn’t expect her to say anything. It was a wild thing to say, yet I needed to say it because it’s the truth. I see a future with her, and the red color rapidly spreading over her beautiful face is more than I could have ever hoped for. Always in my head space, always in my thoughts—I wonder if this woman knows how much of me she owns already. With her long dark hair and big, doe-eyes filled with enough kindness to make the world go around, she is the most stunning soul that I’ve ever seen. My guess would be that Tess has Spanish roots. She is pale, but I suspect that’s from being anti-social and spending more time on her laptop than actually heading out. Not that I mind. I can see a future of us watching her favorite series on her laptop and discussing them afterward. I smile at that and feel butterflies swarm my belly. I’m head-over-heels in love with this little human, and I

TessI'm at a loss for what to do. I still can't believe Freddy was the one that hurt those girls. Part of me still can't believe it. He is so nice and gentle with me, but it's not like he meant to hurt them. He lost control of his hunger—that's hardly his fault! Drinking blood is in Freddy's nature, and I'm sure he could learn how to control it if given time. I just wish he would let me be part of that journey. Why did he have to leave me? I can handle his darker side, damn it! I'm not made of glass, and I'm tired of people treating me as if I'm going to break at any given moment!Suddenly my phone vibrates, and I get up on my feet. My phone is lying on the armchair with all my clothes. Clothes that Freddy pulled off my body last night before he left me...A pang of sadness shoots through my entire body, remembering how good his lips felt against mine, but I push the pain aside and slide my finger over my screen. There are plenty of messages from Lily and a few from my other friend

TessI find many things in this world scary: walking to the bathroom late at night when you don’t have a nightlight on, fake friends, the members of the Safir pack, and last, and probably my biggest fear, is the thought of spending eternity alone. Sue me for thinking that’s a terrible fate, but that is how I feel without lying to myself. I know plenty of women out there are like, “I don’t need a man! I’m strong and independent!” but I’m not one of them. Fuck no. I don’t want to be single for the rest of my life. I want to spend my days with someone special. Laugh and see the world together.And the thought of trusting someone so much that you can show yourself vulnerability to them? That’s beautiful. I want to let someone in. To let them help me whenever I feel low and dead inside. And in return, I want to do the same for them. Love is about giving and taking; I will love my partner through everything. We will face the darkness of this world together and survive side by side. That’s