In the Blood [ON HOLD]

"Aren't You Going to Ask"

Charlie continued to stare at the same line on the page, like she'd been doing for the past hour. She'd been attempting to read since he'd darkened her doorstep once again.

But she hadn't had any luck.

With disgust, she marked the page, then tossed the book to the end of the bed, staring blankly at the dark wall across from her. The bedside lamp didn't do much to chase the shadows away in the room, but she didn't mind.

It wasn't the dark she was afraid of.

With a sigh, she rolled onto her side, wondering if she should just call it quits and go to sleep, ignoring the fact that it was barely eight o'clock.

Regardless of the fact that she had been able to tell that her behavior had thrown him, she didn't feel like she'd won anything. She barely felt like she'd advanced in this private war between them.

She just felt... cold.

Remi had seemed somehow different than the last time she saw him.

It was like a weight had settled back onto her, knowing he was back in town. A shiver traced cold fingers down her spine, and she burrowed under the white comforter just to scowl when the movement sent the book thumping to the floor.

Charlie lay in bed for a moment, deciding on whether or not it could just stay there until the morning. Then she rolled her eyes, swearing softly to herself as she got out of the bed.

Having things out of their place bugged her.

She picked up the book, the smooth cover slipping in her fingers a little. Staring down at it, longing reached up and strangled her. All Charlie wanted at this particular moment was to get the internship slot Mila had hinted might be headed her way when she'd seen the doctor yesterday.

A dull thud reverberated through the house, making her startle badly, the book sliding from between her fingers to thump into the mattress. Charlie let out a slow breath to soothe her overwrought nerves.

Her eyes flicked to the window, and she stood listening, but there was no other sound. She began to wonder if she was just hearing things. She sincerely hoped this house was not haunted, and decided to ignore the sound in lieu of getting back into her warm bed.

The book was placed on the small desk near the window, and Charlie walked quickly across the rag rug covering the floor to the bed. There was another thud, like someone slamming the side of their fist into a wall, freezing her in place as an awful thought came over her.

She scowled darkly, then went back to the window, peering down into the street. A familiar car was parked haphazardly on the curb, making her frown. Usually it was parked with care, to avoid being scratched or dented.

A third thump drew her attention closer to the house, but she couldn't see the front door from her vantage point. Not that she really needed to. She just couldn't really believe that someone as perceptive as Remi couldn't take a goddamn hint.

She closed her eyes, wondering if she could just ignore him.

He'd probably pick the damn lock.

The sour thought had her opening her eyes and turning on her heel, stalking around the bed and down the short hall to the stairs. While it would be satisfying to just scream at him through the door, she didn't think that would do her any good. Remi had consistently struck her as a more face-to-face kind of man.

A fourth thud had not come, and a small uncertainty beat fear against her heart, light as butterfly wings.

Charlie hesitated for a moment at the door, imagining how he would look at her when she finally opened it. The scowl that would twist his mouth into something that was still somehow annoyingly seductive. The glint in his eyes, like he was getting ready for either a fight or a roll in the sheets. The irritated set of his broad shoulders.