"Havin' fun?" I said as I sat on Alice's bed.

Currently, Alice and I were in her room, and inside said room, Alice and I were sitting on her bed while Alice was still holding onto me.

"Mhm," Alice hummed in response, as she usually does, not loosening her grip around me in the slightest.

"They ruined what could've been a pretty good revelation, huh? With the mate stuff, I mean," I said as I wrapped my arm around Alice's shoulder.

Honestly, although I'm happy to know Alice and I are mates, I do wish it wasn't so anticlimactic. I know, I know, I'm being too much of a romanticist, but hey, it would've been a more memorable moment if it wasn't revealed so nonchalantly. But either way, it was too late for that now.

This time Alice didn't reply, which caused me to arch an eyebrow. I suppose she was eager for it to be revealed, so she didn't care if it was romantic or not.

"...I like you," Alice said abruptly. I guess we're jumping straight into the deep end.

"Don't... Don't respond," Alice said with a tone that told me she was nervous to hear my response before she pushed me back onto the bed and then climbed on top of me, snuggling into my neck.

As Alice settled against me, the weight of her presence created a warmth that seeped through every layer of my being, despite her cold skin against mine. Her closeness was an intimate dance of shared breaths; I felt the gentle rise and fall of her chest, a rhythmic cadence that I knew she didn't actually need to do; she was inhaling my scent as I was hers.

Her scent, a subtle blend of something uniquely hers, enveloped me, drawing me into a deep-seated sense of comfort, something that I was used to but never on this level. Alice was special. It was as if the world had stopped, leaving only the awareness of Alice, her essence seamlessly melding with my own. It was surreal, such an intense feeling.

In this quiet moment, our closeness spoke volumes. It wasn't just the physical proximity but an unspoken understanding, an intimacy that transcended the boundaries of words. The weight of her presence on top of me was more than a physical act; it was a shared space where emotions, desires, and unspoken connections came together, creating a myriad of feelings that left an indelible mark on both of our souls.

Never before had I felt like this, such a deep, strong, and solid emotion that came from what felt like my soul itself. It was unimaginable that I could feel like this just from resting with Alice. Just how strong would this feeling grow when we took our relationship to deeper levels? How much love would I have for her? How infatuated would I grow with her existence?

I'm unsure how much time passed as we lay like this, but after some time, I wrapped my arms around her, making sure to hold onto her as she was with me. We hadn't spoken even a single word to each other, but it was fine. This was fine. I didn't need anything more. We could stay like this forever, and I'd be content.

Unintentionally, I lowered the temperature in the room as I tightened my grip around the vampire who hadn't released her grip around me since earlier. I didn't want to let her go either.

"Keanu..." Alice said softly into my ear for the hundredth time.

Alice had been repeating my name since a few minutes after we laid down, and while others might find it weird, I loved it. The sound of my name from her voice, her breath hitting the side of my ear and the higher part of my neck, the way she said it so sensually, I loved everything about it, and in all honestly, it made my mind race with all sorts of thoughts, and none of them were clean thoughts.

'Dammit...' I said as I heard Emmett say the current time from downstairs; it was getting late.

"Stay... please," Alice said as if she knew my thoughts, which caused me to pause and think.

'My grandparents aren't home.' I said to myself, feeling that I could stay if I wanted. It only took a phone call to inform the servants that I was staying at a 'friend's house today; they didn't have any say over my actions.

"Is your dad fine with that?" I questioned, although I had an inkling as to what the answer would be, it was better to ask that kind of question. I didn't want to overstep my boundaries.

"Mhm, it's fine," Alice replied immediately, with a small amount of detectable excitement in her voice; she was happy I wasn't leaving, but I felt there was a bit more to her tone that I couldn't decipher.

"Alright, could you get me a phone? I need to inform my servants I won't be back tonight," I said to Alice, who got up immediately and did as I asked.

"What's the number?" Alice asked, causing me to tell her the house number before she handed the phone to me.

After taking the phone from Alice, I waited for a few seconds before the phone picked up, and I informed them I wouldn't be back tonight, which they accepted easily, and now all that was left was Alice and me.

"Continue?" Alice asked me as she stood in front of me as I sat on the edge of her bed.

"I'd love to," I replied with a smile before Alice and I continued where we left off.

Once Alice and I resumed our cuddling, I fell into thought for a while. After some time, I decided it was better to set some stuff straight since we were already here. I mean, I was spending the night in her room, cuddling with her. The least I could do was tell her I liked her too. I would be a dick if I left her in the unknown. And yes, I know that the mate bond spoke plenty for our feelings for each other, but sometimes words are needed as well.

"I like you too," I said just as abruptly as Alice did earlier, causing the vampire to freeze completely.

"Really?" Alice replied into my ear after around thirty seconds of silence—thirty seconds that made me feel like I completely messed up.

"Yeah," I confirmed confidently before falling silent as I waited for Alice's next words.

Just like before, Alice didn't respond immediately. Instead, she tightened her grip around me as she inhaled my scent deeply. Finally, after a few minutes, she spoke again.

"I like you more," Alice said, causing me to smile widely. What an eventful day.

With that said, Alice and I didn't speak much more, and as time never stopped for anyone, night soon came. With that, I ended up falling asleep while holding onto the small woman, Alice, my vampire mate. But after what felt like hours, I woke up to the feeling of Alice separating from me. I didn't show any signs of awakening and only lay patiently waiting for what would happen.

I sensed Alice moving around the room rapidly until she appeared at the bedside directly beside me with an object in her hand.

Click.

The quiet sound of a click echoed through the room, and immediately upon hearing it, I knew what the sound came from—a camera. Alice was taking pictures of me with what I assume to be a Polaroid.

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

I didn't bother keeping count of how many pictures Alice took of me, but she was in all sorts of positions in the room, making sure to get a picture of me from every angle she could so I knew it was a lot but while she was careful to proceed without waking me. Well, I was already awake.

'...Maybe she does like me more,' I said to myself as I felt Alice lay back down on top of me with an extreme level of gentleness before she began rubbing my chest while taking huge breaths with her face buried in my neck. She was definitely taking advantage of me right now.

To be continued...