Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 20: Reassurance

That night, Amelia sneaked Onyx into her room just as she did the night before, knowing that if her mother knew he was here she would surely burst into a fit of rage again. She sat down at her desk, an uncomfortable silence between them. 

"I'm so sorry about mom kicking you out earlier..." Amelia sighed, glancing over at Onyx. "She just doesn't get it..."

Onyx stared at the floor. "It's okay. No one gets it, I don't think."

Amelia frowned. "That's not true. I get it. I may not fully understand you and vampire stuff... but... I love you anyway..."

"But am I really worth it?" Onyx asked, looking up at Amelia sadly.

"What do you mean?" she replied. 

Onyx didn't answer as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Amelia let out a heavy sigh and stood up from the desk chair, pushing it back into its proper place as she walked over to the bed and sat down carefully beside of him. "Onyx..."

"Everyone's going to bully you and make fun of you," he said quietly. "Even your own mother... I'm not worth all of this pain, Amelia. You'd be better off if we'd never met..."

Amelia's heart shattered. "Why would you ever think you're not worth it? You're worth everything to me. I love you... even if everyone else doesn't understand it, even if I get bullied and made fun of, even if my own family hates me... I'm doing the right thing... I know I am."

"I know... I love you too, but... how do you know that I'm the right choice?" Onyx asked as he, too, felt tears begin to form in his eyes. "All I'll ever bring you is heartache... isn't that obvious to you now...?"

She sighed. "Losing you would bring me heartache. You've been my best friend for all of these years. Nothing will ever change how much I care about you. No one can ever take that bond away from us."

Onyx looked away, unable to look her in the eyes. He thought that he was right, that she could find a better friend, a better lover, and live a better life without him. She would be happier, and her family would be happy... but he also thought that he was selfish, too. He didn't want to let her go. He wanted to be there for her, just as he always had. He needed her -- far more than she needed him, or so he thought. 

Amelia scooted closer to him and with a smile, she wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. "I can't imagine my life without you, Onyx... so please, don't say that you wish we'd never met. If I never knew you... my world wouldn't be the same. It would be missing the one thing it needed... you."

Onyx couldn't help but smile. 

"Everything happens for a reason. I really believe that. Our meeting, our friendship, our..." Amelia blushed as she spoke, "...romance... it was meant to be."

"You're right, Amelia," he replied as he reached to wrap his arm around her. "It was meant to be."

As their lips met, Amelia had never been so sure of anything in her life: she was in love with Onyx. Her heart was pounding, so full of love that she thought it could burst at any moment. She leaned forward, deepening their kiss, and wrapped her arms around him to pull him even closer. He ran his hand along her shoulder, feeling the soft fabric of her shirt underneath his fingers. It was nearly as soft as her lips, and in this moment, he realized that he knew all along, deep down, that Amelia was right. No one could ever take their bond away, and no one could ever stop him from loving her. It didn't matter what everyone else thought, only what they thought, and what he knew.

They parted breathlessly, smiling as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"That was nice," Amelia said a bit awkwardly, and blushed. 'Why do I always say the most awkward things!? I mean, the other kisses were nice too, but I think I'm getting better at it now... maybe? I don't know... I don't feel like a puckering fish as much now...'

Onyx smiled, not realizing that he was blushing too. "It was nice. Really nice..."

"Nice enough to do it again?" Amelia grinned, but he didn't have the chance to reply before she heard the sound of footsteps outside of her door, walking down the hallway. "Never mind," she whispered. "You need to get out of here before someone catches us again..." Frowning, she walked over to the window and reached behind the curtain to open it. "You can fly out of here as a bat, right?"

Onyx frowned. "Yeah." Truthfully he didn't want to leave, not yet, but he knew that he had no choice.

"Hey, tell you what... I'll leave the window open at night. You can just fly in here, and fly out to leave. Much easier, right?" Amelia smiled.

"Yeah, good idea," he said, standing up from the bed. He walked over to Amelia and stared at the open window before she finally let go of the curtain and it fell back into place.

"So this is goodnight, I guess," she said. "See you tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Amelia," Onyx replied. "But before I go..." he pulled her in for one last kiss, but it was only a moment before pulled away, knowing that with the sound of footsteps outside, someone could walk in at any point. Smiling down at her, he said one more thing before leaving: 

"Yes, it was nice enough to do it again."