The Vampire That Loved Me, Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Isabelle raced upstairs and hopped in the shower. She suddenly felt extremely dirty. She scrubbed her arms rigorously, trying to remove the feeling of his hands on her skin. She knew she’d done nothing wrong, but it still felt as if she were guilty in some way. She hadn’t fought back because she’d thought he’d only hurt her more.

After getting out of the shower, she ran a comb through her hair and opened her closet with a disappointed sigh. She already knew she’d find nothing good enough to wear that night.

What she’d failed to mention to Ricky was that she’d never actually been on a real date before. She never even had a real boyfriend. Is Ricky my boyfriend, she thought. Sure, they’d kissed, but she’d done that before with guys she hadn’t ended up dating. And sure, he’d asked her on a date, but she’d also done that with guys she wasn’t dating. Well he has to like me, she thought. With that, she opened the door to her walk-in closet and began searching.

After only five minutes, she had a mound of discarded clothes lying on her bed. Nothing looked right. It was good enough to wear to school, but not for going out. That was when her kitten, Bo, came up the stairs and into her bedroom. He walked into the closet and began sniffing at something red hanging on a hanger in the very back. She reached for it and pulled a red dress off the hanger. This is absolutely perfect, she thought. She crouched down and gave Bo a pat on the head and chuckled as he began to purr. “Sorry, but I can’t stay and pet you all day. I have a date tonight,” she told Bo. He cocked his head at her and she laughed, giving him one last pat on the head. She went into the bathroom to start getting ready.

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A half an hour later, Isabelle was standing at her door, waiting for Ricky to arrive. She’d pulled her hair back into a long braid, put on the necklace and earrings she’d worn to homecoming, and dug through her shoes until she found a pair of red high-heels that matched her dress.

She heard a car slow down out front and she peeked through the window of the door expectantly. Sure enough, she saw Ricky’s black Mustang pulling up in front of her house. He stepped out of the car and her jaw dropped, her heart beat quickened its pace. Even in just a sweater and nice pants, he looked absolutely gorgeous. She closed her mouth and composed herself as he came up the walk.

She backed away from the door and pretended like she hadn’t been waiting anxiously by it. She toyed with something on the table in the hall. He knocked and she almost jumped out of her skin. This is it, she thought. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

His eyes widened as he took in the sight of her. She was absolutely beautiful. He reached out and took her hand, brushing his lips lightly across the top of it. She smiled and blushed, making him chuckled softly.

“You look great,” she managed to stammer out.

He looked her over again, taking in her beauty. “You don’t look so bad yourself,” he replied with a smile. She giggled nervously. “Shall we go,” he asked.

“Yeah, I guess we should. Where are we going,” she asked.

“Ah, that’s for me to know and you to find out,” he said and took her arm. He led her down the steps to his car. He opened the door for her and helped her in. He got in on the other side and started the car. “Hold on,” he said and pushed the accelerator pedal to the floor.

They roared down Isabelle’s street. Ricky smiled as he looked over at Isabelle, who was holding onto the door handle. He touched her hand with his and told her not to worry. He slowed down a bit and she let out a short sigh of relief.

They talked about nothing in particular during the drive. As they neared their destination, Ricky looked over at Isabelle and told her to close her eyes.

She reluctantly did as she was told. She even covered her eyes with her hand so she wouldn’t be tempted into peeking. She felt the car come to a stop and she heard Ricky’s door open. He came around to the passenger side and helped her out, making sure she wasn’t peeking. He led her up the walkway and got behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and told her to open her eyes.

She opened them and gasped in surprise. In front of her was a beautiful restaurant, decorated with white lights around the edges. There were roses planted in the front with trees on the side. It was absolutely beautiful.

“Oh my god, it’s beautiful. Where are we,” she asked.

“This is my family’s restaurant,” he replied. He took her hand in his and walked her to the door. An attendant greeted him and then led them to a table out on the balcony overlooking the pond of a near-by golf course.

Isabelle was mesmerized by the whole scene. The stars seemed to light the whole sky just for them. The moon shown down and was reflected off the surface of the water. The romantically placed candle in the middle of their table flickered in the breeze. She was completely overwhelmed.

Ricky pulled out the chair for her and she sat down, not knowing how much longer she would’ve been able to stand up because her legs had suddenly become very wobbly. She took the opportunity to look around. There were no other people on the balcony, nor were there any inside the restaurant.

“Did you rent this out just for us,” she asked, unable to contain her amazement.

“Yes, I did. I called my mother on the way home and asked her to close down the restaurant to the public for tonight,” Ricky replied.

“Wow.” Isabelle said. “It really is beautiful.”

“Thank you. I did the lights and my mother planted the roses and other plants. My father did the rest,” he said.

She hung her head. “Must be nice to have a real family to do things like that with,” she whispered more to herself than Ricky.

Ricky reached over and lifted her head. “Hey, my family has just as many problems as the next. Don’t go ruining our evening together,” he said jokingly.

She smiled and picked up the menu, deciding to drop the issue. Everything on it was incredibly expensive. She looked up at him and he picked up her thoughts.

“It’s ok. It’s my treat,” he said. “Pick anything you want.”

After looking at the menu for about five minutes, Isabelle decided what she was going to have. Chicken Alfredo sounded pretty good. Ricky motioned to a waiter, the only one still there, and they ordered their food.

“So are you going to tell your mother about what happened today,” Ricky surprised Isabelle by asking after the waiter was out of earshot.

“What happened to not ruining our evening,” Isabelle asked.

“I’m not trying to ruin it, I just wanted to know.”

“Well, I was thinking about it, but I don’t see what good it would do. She’d totally ignore me like she usually does when I try to talk to her about what a bad person he is. And even if she did pay attention to me and actually listen to what I have to say, she’d still end up with him in the end.”

“Why would she go back to a man that would try to rape her own daughter?”

Isabelle looked up and gaped at him. She’d never really thought he was going to rape her. She’d thought he’d only grope her a bit and get an eyeful, but nothing further. But now that she actually thought about it, that’s exactly what he was planning on, and it would’ve happened if Ricky hadn’t barged in. Bryan was just that type of man; he took what he wanted and didn’t care who he hurt in the process.

“Please. Can we not talk about it anymore,” Isabelle asked with a shudder.

“Sure,” Ricky said cheerily, inwardly happy to drop it as well.

Their food came then and they ate in silence, savoring the taste of their meals. When they were done, Ricky’s mother came out to greet them. Isabelle stared at her in wonder. Her short blonde hair seemed to shine even in the dim light. Her elegant black dress hugged her body in all the right places. I’ll never look like that, Isabelle thought.

You’re beautiful just the way you are.

Isabelle looked around in disbelief. That thought had just popped into her head all of a sudden. She looked over at Ricky and gave him a puzzled look.

You heard that?

She nodded and it was his turn to gape at her in surprise. She giggled. His mother reached them just then and they both stood up.

“Hello. Nice to meet you Isabelle,” she said and extended her hand.

Isabelle shook it. “Nice to meet you too Mrs......” She trailed off for she had no idea what Ricky’s mother’s name was.

“Just call me Crystal,” his mother said.

“Well it’s nice to meet you Crystal. But unfortunately, I have to be getting home,” Isabelle said, glancing at her watch.

“Ok. It was nice meeting you dear,” Crystal said. She turned around and led them through the restaurant to the front door.

“This place is lovely,” Isabelle added.

“Thank you. This is my pride and joy,” Crystal said. She handed them their jackets and opened the door.

They walked to the car and Ricky opened the door for Isabelle. Before she could get in, Ricky pulled her into a hug and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. She blushed and got into the car.

From where she was standing at the front door, Crystal shook her head. What has he gotten himself into this time?