My face was burning with embarrassment as I fumbled for my phone. “Yeah?” I said into it, unable to look at Duncan.
“Hello to you, too,” mumbled Nathan.
I cleared my throat. “Sorry.”
“You guys almost home, yet?”
I nervously bit off a hangnail. “Almost.”
“Okay, I ordered a pizza and it’s already here, so hurry the hell up.”
I hung up and stole a glance at Duncan.
“I’m sorry,” he said, although his eyes were still smoldering. “I don’t know what came over me.”
I smiled sheepishly. “I, um… it was me. I practically raped you. I’ve never done that before, to anyone. I’m sorry.”
“At least I know you like me.”
I burst out laughing. “Do you think?”
“I’m sure you could probably tell that I liked you, too,” he said, grinning.
My cheeks grew hot and I changed the subject. “So, I hope you’re hungry. Nathan has a pizza waiting for us.”
“Oh, I’m starving, alright,” he said under his breath.
I looked at him and sighed. “Duncan, I…”
He stared at me for a minute. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m not in a rush for anything.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I really do like you, you know. I’m just…”
He held up his hand. “Hey, it’s okay.”
It wasn’t okay. I really liked Duncan but I’d never attacked anyone before in my life like that. It was almost like the burning desire I’d felt towards Ethan had carried over towards Duncan. I was beginning to wonder if Ethan really was a vampire and had given off some kind of weird pheromone.
We rode in silence the rest of the way to the cabin. Nathan was sitting on the porch, holding a BB gun, when we arrived.
“We come in peace,” teased Duncan, raising his hands in the air.
Nathan grinned. “Sorry. I was beginning to freak myself out, so I grabbed my old BB gun. I thought I heard some noises in the woods. But then, I actually found a couple of raccoons prowling around.”
“Is the video camera still set up?” asked Duncan.
“Yeah. I think we should hang out on Nikki’s balcony and watch from above. See if we can see anyone sneaking around,” said Nathan. “Just in case it isn’t a ghost, but some jackass trying to screw with us.”
“Good idea,” replied Duncan.
We went inside, grabbed the box of pizza and some plates, and then headed up to my bedroom. On the balcony, Nathan had set up three chairs and a bistro table. We sat down and started eating.
“How was work?” asked Nathan.
“Busy. I met this girl named Susan who was friends with Amy.”
“Is she cute?” asked Nathan.
“God, is that all you think about?” I asked.
“Is there anything else, Dunc?”
Duncan smiled but didn’t say anything.
“Anyway, Susan was telling me that Amy believed her ex-boyfriend, Ethan, was a vampire.”
Nathan snorted. “Yeah, I’d say Amy was a little messed up.”
“I don’t know,” I said, staring at my pizza.
His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”
I swallowed. “I met Ethan tonight and there was something really strange about him.”
“He was dating Amy at one point, that tells you enough right there,” said Nathan.
“No, he came over and sat by me at the restaurant. When he looked into my eyes, I almost felt like… I was under some kind of spell.”
“How do you mean?” asked Nathan.
“I can’t explain it,” I said, looking sideways at Duncan. There was no way I was going to explain my desire to jump Ethan’s bones, especially after what had happened between us, in the truck.
Nathan sat back and groaned. “There is no such thing as vampires, period. Quit letting Abigail’s and Amy’s crazy notions play with your mind. I mean, come on, Nikki, you know better than that!”
I shrank down in my seat. “I know. It’s just…I can’t explain it.”
Nathan looked at Duncan. “What do you think about all of this?”
Duncan shrugged. “I don’t know. I think something strange is going on and I’m not ruling anything out.”
Nathan snorted. “Even vampires?”
“Maybe this Ethan guy believes he’s a vampire and knows how to manipulate other people into believing it, too.”
“That sounds more reasonable to me. Maybe he knows how to actually hypnotize people. That would explain how Nikki believed she was under some kind of spell.”
“Maybe,” I answered.
We sat in silence, as we finished the pizza and stared towards the woods. It was pretty silent except for the leaves rustling in the wind.