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“But I’m straight.”
Okay. For some reason, that wasn’t what she’d expected. Ashley had decided Esther was queer on some scale of the spectrum. She might not be interested in Ashley, especially considering the whole vampire thing, but she hadn’t expected her to claim to be straight.
“Like, all the way?” Ashley said.
Esther’s eyes shifted back and forth, solving an equation only she saw. “I-I thought so. I guess I never really thought about it before?”
“Okay. Cool cool cool.” Ashley retreated, moving her hands back into her personal space. This was a lot. Maybe it was time for her to leave.
10
Esther
Esther’s thoughts pulled in a million directions. When she’d agreed to this “life-changing secret,” she hadn’t prepared herself for it to include a short-circuiting kiss. Ashley being a vampire—a vampire!—was more on-brand with what she saw coming. Definitely lived up to the hype, so bravo to Ashley on that front. But she hadn’t expected any life-altering reveals aboutherself.
“You really never thought about it before? How old are you?” Ashley’s question broke through the hurricane of thoughts flying through Esther’s mind.
“How old am I? I’m twenty-five. And you’re twenty, so really this is highly inappropriate.”
“That’s what you’re going with? Myageis throwing you off? Because I’ll have you know that by romance standards our age gap is not even remarkable enough to warrant a trope tag.” Ashley looked skeptical, which was a reasonable reaction because Esther was not being reasonable. It wasn’t Ashley’s agethat was a problem, though she had no idea what she meant by “a trope tag.”
The vampire reveal followed by that kiss had broken something loose in her head and she was still reeling trying to get her thoughts back on track.
Ashley had kissed her. She kissed Ashley.
The girl from class who was practically perfect in every way. With the cheerful smile and the strong arms. Who knew everyone’s name and everyone wanted to be around, and she had kissed Esther—of all the forgettable people in the world.
And also, Ashley was a vampire. How did that fit in with what she was feeling?
Ashley stood. “I’m pretty sure I know what the issue is here, and it’s not my age—which is not inappropriate by the way.”
“How old are you? Like really?”
Apparently, her mind was stuck on the age thing. It was the least of her problems, but that was what made the topic so appealing. It was safe. Talking kept Ashley here, and what she wanted most was for Ashley to stay where she was, framed by the lake, the moon making her blond hair glow. She was beautiful and powerful, and she’d kissed her.
But also, Esther knew nothing about her. “How long have you been twenty?”
Ashley scowled. “You can’t win me over withTwilightreferences.”
Esther made a note to watch this movie the second she got home. She scooted on the log and patted the spot next to her—hopeful. Ashley was making her hopeful. For what, Esther had no idea, but something in her said if Ashley just sat, they could talk this through and the world would stop spinning so fast. Ashley looked to the distant dock, as though debating leaving her here, but she sat down.
“So.” Esther took a second to collect her thoughts, snagging the first one she could put to words. “Vampires are old, right? The moon landing, Civil Rights Movement, the Civil War and the Revolutionary. Did you cross over from Europe, or were you born here?”
As she listed events, the anthropologist inside her took out a notebook and pen. A firsthand account of the big moments in history that were fading from living memory. This was the opportunity of a lifetime.
Ashley chuckled. “A ‘where are youreallyfrom’ question. As blond as I am, I haven’t experienced one of those before. Well, I was born in Iowa and grew up in the time when our solar system had nine planets and 150 Pokémon.”
“Pluto?” Esther did the math in her head, but Ashley cut her off.’
“I’m a nineties child. Born in ’88 and changed 2008.”
“So, wait.” Esther computed again. Her list of historic questions shrinking exponentially. “You’re thirty?”
“Okay, 32, and I don’t think I like the tone you just took.”
“You’re only seven years older than me.”
Ashley shrugged. “I could tell you where I was during 9/11.”
