"You suck as a best friend!" Kim shouted at me. He was so pissed. I had gone and started dating someone and now I must be punished. I didn't understand. He'd dated for the entire 9 years we knew each other.
"I look out for you, and this is how you repay me!?"
He was actually kind of cute when he was mad. His fangs descended and he began to lisp. It only happened when he was desperate to feed or was really pissed off.
"Thith isth sucth an outhrage!"
He just glared when I started laughing. I couldn't help it. It was mean, but it's like watching that guy run into the end of the pommel horse at the Olympics on the sports spoof shows. It was like he knew it was coming, but was so excited he forgot to jump. He speared himself and bounced off of the end. You knew he was embarrassed or hurt, but you just had to laugh.
"I'm sorry, Kim," I said trying to be contrite once I got my laughter under control.
"Ith okay, Nathathlee." He butchered my name, Natalie.
Did he need to feed or was he still angry with me?
"Kim, go eat before someone looses an eye on one of those things." I demanded knowing it would lighten his mood somewhat.
He just glared at me. Knowing I wasn't debating about my choice of boyfriend seemed to take all the fight out of him. Giving me one of his "we'll talk more later" looks Kim left.
Kimberly Radcliff was the son of an important wealthy family. They didn't know he was a vampire. His sire said no one could know. Kim had to tell me. We've been roommates for 5 years. He was turned about 3 weeks into our stint as roommates.
He used every excuse possible not to go home to the mainland. He was running out of excuses. He wanted me to go home with him posing as his girlfriend. Kim was desperate.
He was fun for a vampire. Taller than my five foot nine inches, Kim had amazing blue eyes when he was full. He was handsome with one of those brawny muscular figures. His blonde hair was over-long and gave him a surfer dude look.
Kim was also gay. He had no desire to manage the family fortunes. He wanted to be a librarian. He needed to tell his family about being gay. He'd been hiding it since before we met. I loved him. I used to pine for him.
Unrequited love sucks. But knowing he'd probably want to kiss your boyfriend made it a little easier.
We lived in a really cool condo his parents rented for us. We were still college age. Kim was 23 and had changed his major about that many times. I graduated last semester with a degree in social work.
I was biding my time on the island until his family finally made him graduate. Social work paid squat usually. I made a decent wage because I got a job upon graduation at the Shriner's Hospital for Children. I could not afford Honolulu without Kim's offer of free rent.
I was just plain Natalie Johnson from the Bronx. I'd met Kim while a scholarship student at our mutually hated prep school. I had always planned on going to NYU, but that best friend of mine had other opinions. He used my admissions request info for NYU and a couple of other colleges to apply for the University of Hawaii. I had planned on being a social worker and when I learned what Kim did I was intrigued. Study and have fun at the same time?
Maybe it was Kim's happy personality that helped me relax. Maybe it was the view from our condo. Maybe it was actually having fun at school, but I loved being a Warrior. I could not picture going back to the mainland.
I had bloomed from geek girl to hottie almost overnight. I had almost as many offers for dates as Kim if you only considered the ones from men. Wanting Kim since prep school had turned into a bursting need for sex. I abstained because no one made me feel special.
Now that I had found Kamalani Falemalu I was ready. He was a Native Hawaiian. His Polynesian blood made him dark in coloring. I had wavy red hair and blue eyes compared with his sun streaked brown hair and dark brown eyes. My alabaster skin seemed so pale next to his warm toned skin. He was well into six foot tall, and when he stood next to me I actually felt dainty. He'd been on the Warrior O-line before becoming a pediatric neurologist.
I met him at work. He smelled so sexy. I could only place the scent as warm mossy outdoors mixed with something tangy. When I was near him, I had to resist stroking him down his arm or back or chest. I just felt compelled to touch him. He went by Dr. F with the kids. To me he was just Kama.
When we met he knew I was a mainlander and was very nice. I don't think he realized I had gone to school here at first. Most mainlanders have a hard time understanding and pronouncing the simplest of names. Every vowel is spoken. Once you had that it got easier.
We were strangers until we both reached for the last whole grain bagel. I offered to split it if he'd have coffee with me. I'm not sure what came over me, but he made me tingle. No one since freshman year at prep school had made me feel tightness between my legs. I saw his nostrils flare and thought I'd humiliated myself.
"I'd love to eat you, with you," Kama said. I wasn't sure who was more embarrassed.
We split the bagel over coffee. Next thing you know we kept running into each other. I had worked there for five months before we met. Now it seemed like he was every patient's doctor. He was also a constant lunch companion and an occasional breakfast buddy.
Of course, we did seem to be having lots of kids with head injuries and other neurological nightmares. I comforted parents and guided through what it would be like to take home their child.
As a doctor, he put situations and illnesses to the parents with as much compassion as he could. However he never sugarcoated expectations or recovery. It helped me convince the parents to use my services when they understood their child's needs.
Tonight was our first real date. Kama wanted to teach me to surf. I had always wanted to learn but couldn't afford lessons. He thought tonight we could go to the beach and swim. That way he'd be able to see if I could handle the ocean.
I'd never seriously dated anyone before. I remember one boyfriend getting really upset with not getting past first base. He'd called me frigid. I knew I wasn't because I used to masturbate as a freshman in high school like a fiend every time I was around Kim.
Some boyfriends couldn't or wouldn't handle my gay best friend and roommate. That also put a damper on dating.
I really hoped Kama would be one of those tolerant kinds of man. After seeing him with his gay brother one afternoon, I didn't think I'd have to worry. Kim would just have to deal. He was acting like a jealous ass. He hadn't even met Kama yet.
I looked at my watch and noticed I had just spent half and hour fuming. I hate being late. Now I was going to have to hurry. I was going to take a bath, but now I'd have to settle for a quick shower.
I grabbed my razor and Kim's forgotten shaving mirror. I trimmed myself clean as usual. As a redhead, I was tired of the matching color question. I just refused to have hair in my pubic area. I had looked into electrolysis, but it doesn't work well on fair haired people.
I usually waxed, but I was between appointments. I wanted to wear my new bikini under my sundress. I gathered my beach towel and blanket. Next in my big hobo purse I added anything I might need if I got lucky including a box of condoms.
The doorbell rang. I went to open it and was shocked to see Kim there with a dozen roses. He apologized and admitted his jealousy. He'd been afraid that this Dr. F was going to keep me from spending time with him.
"You don't get to be the only one who dates. Did you think I was a nun? Well I'm not and I'm old enough to know when I need to get laid!" I yelled as he walked by me into the condo.
I practically jumped into the air when I turned to close the door and Kama was standing there. He was blushing. What did I just say? Oh no! I couldn't hide so I did the next best thing.
"Hi," I said lamely.
Kama stood there staring at me then over to Kim. He grabbed my arm and put himself between me and Kim.
"Keep away from her fiend," Kama said.
"Hey dog let her go!" Kim shouted.
