I couldn't deny it though.

Even as I sat here, laughing and carrying on with Kenzo about how good Crazy Rich Asians was, my heart was longing for the bond that I had with my family: specifically Tatianna. 

As much as I looked up to my brother, I loved being an older brother more. I guess it all had to come from the fact that back in our country in Havana, my brother was always working to help my parents out. It was only natural that Tatianna fell into my care at my grandparents' house. 

I recalled several memories just before we moved here when I was 10. My sister was only two and a half years younger than me, but she still relied on me. "This boy in my class called me ugly, Eli!" The door to my room burst open with a yowl of my cat back then as my arms were full of a crying girl. "Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong, hermanita?" I grabbed onto her, rubbing her back. 

"The guy I have a crush on called me ugly today in class when I gave him one of my gummy bears!" She was really hurt about this, but I knew what to say. "Tati, you are the prettiest girl to ever walk the entire beaches of Cuba. That boy just doesn't know what he likes yet. Don't worry about what he thinks," I pulled her head back from my chest, wiping her eyes and giving her a smile.

"Do you think you're ugly?" She shook her head vehemently and I nodded. "So why would you let that boy tell you that you are?" I hummed in response, knowing that I had my fair share of mean kids in elementary school. Being a smart and advanced intelligent kid garnered my own kind of bullies.

"Never let anyone tell you otherwise. Their words mean nothing to you. You know mom always tells us that opinions are like buttholes and we all have one?" She giggled and nodded, enticing a smile from me. "As long as you know what you are and how beautiful you are, those words would never mean anything to you." I hugged her tightly to let her know that she was just as precious as she was beautiful. 

And the time when she asked something about the future.

"When we get older," She leaned her head on my shoulder, watching me trace the intricate clouds in the sky with my finger. "Will you let me be your maid of honor at your wedding?" She asked and I snorted, raising a brow. "I would have to choose a best man, Tati, which is my best friend that's a boy," She pouted, cutting her eyes at me and I poked her on the forehead.

"But if by then you are my only friend, then I will make you my best man," It was a farfetched promise as that was unusual, but I was nothing but a boy of my own word. 

Or the time where we got caught for trying to paint the entire wall of the kitchen with flour.

"Eli Matteo!" I heard my mother's loud voice as it shook the house from top to bottom. "Tatianna Marlé!" My sister and I turned to each other with wide eyes, fear running through our eyes as we stifled a giggle. I put a finger up to my lips to shush her, but I couldn't stop laughing myself. "WHY IS MY KITCHEN WHITE!??" 

There was no way to describe the fear of the chancla that we had that day. We managed to stay hidden for two hours before our dear mother found us. 

Or the time we shared our last beautiful moment on Varadero Beach.

"Eli, promise me something," I tilted my head as I kicked against the warm sand, watching her hand me a pink shell. "What?" The blue-pink sunset was glowing over us in the horizon as she grabbed onto my hand, looking me fiercely in the eyes. "No matter where life takes us, you'll always be my big brother. You'll always take care of me and be there for me when I need you," With one hand, she squeezed the shell in my palm while her other hand wrapped her pinky around mine. "I'll always do the same for you."

And like the tide came crashing onto the sand with a crying howl as if it knew this was the last time, our pinkies came together.

It was no secret that Tatianna and I were the closest in our family. I wanted to be a good person for her. I wanted her to look at me and be proud that she was related to me. I wanted to be a source of inspiration for her, a shoulder for her to cry on, a smile when she needed one. I wanted to be so many things so that she knew that she always had me, but I guess that the roles were switched.

I needed her more than she needed me.

"Eli," I felt a hand on my shoulder knock me out of my trance. "I'm sorry, what?" I blinked to see Kenzo smiling sadly at me. He seemed to know what I was thinking, but he wasn't going to inquire about it. "When we first met, you told me that you were unsure of staying because you have a life outside that you needed to get back to. What did you mean by that?" I could hear the unsaid words. You cut off your ties with your family, so what is still holding you back?

My passion, of course. "In a few months, I'm going to college in the city for child psychology," I explained and his eyes lit up, his lips morphing into a wide smile. "Yup, I want to be a child psychologist," I stopped myself from going on my long tirade about how the job was so much fun and that I already had so much experience from my work. 

"I want to go to school, you know," Kenzo wrapped his arms around his knees, smiling sadly. "For medicine. There's nothing better than knowing that I helped someone," He whispered solemnly and I frowned. "Why can't you?" I questioned and he shook his head, realizing that he may have said too much, but I wanted to know. 

"Because I am the only human, I am the most needed as I am a blood slave to one of the executives. I simply cannot go out because I will be targeted by other vampires. I'm not lucky enough to have a bodyguard like Cameron to follow me around to make sure I'm safe," He looked up at me and I had to stop gritting my teeth. "I'm not that valuable enough," Kenzo finally spoke the one true thought that I knew was going through his mind.

I narrowed my eyes, doing my best to silence my gritting teeth. That was the kind of thing I hated most. Just because of circumstances didn't give anyone the power to control someone else's life. Sure, he could be killed by other vampires, but so could I. I just couldn't let someone else control his dreams for him, damn it!

As Kenzo leaned his head on my shoulder, shivering slightly, I made a mental note to talk some sense into Zander. Having the control over Kenzo's life and dreams would only make him resentful in the end. 

Trust me, I would know. 

There was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal Cameron standing there, looking crestfallen. "Can I join you guys?" He murmured and I patted the spot on the bed next to me. "Come on," Somewhere along the way, we all became a little trio. When I wasn't goofing off and learning about vampire culture with Leticia, or spending all the time I could with Zander, I was with these two.

They made life a little better, to be honest.

Cameron even threatened to go and kill Michelle and Hunter for betraying me, but I dissuaded those thoughts from his mind. I wasn't even thinking about them anymore, which was strange, considering that we had been friends for so long.

Maybe I was just blinded. 

Cam leaned his head on my shoulder, my stomach fluttering from his warmth as he sighed, the romance playing on the screen before us diminishing his mood even further. It was such a good movie, but it made us feel lonely.

"Why are you so sad, Cam?" Kenzo chewed on some chips, pointing to the blonde next to me. He grimaced, realizing that his facade was seen through. "You can tell us," I offered as it looked like it was something he was struggling with. He bit his lip, looking around before speaking in a low tone. 

"My fated doesn't want me."

I blinked in surprise as he pouted, sniffling lowly. Kenzo seemed to understand his pain as he pursed his lips, looking away. I couldn't relate because Zander desperately wanted me, but I wondered if it was because of the fact that I was his fated and not because I was me. 

Part of me knew that he enjoyed getting to know me.

But it hurt because the same fate couldn't apply to everyone else. "It's okay though," Cam reassured, his eyes shining with mirth but we all knew that he was hurting. "It's just because of the fact that I'm not an executive," He stuck his tongue out, and his clue led me to realize that his fated was one of the important six. 

And I had an idea of who it was.

The movie credits started playing and I howled in laughter as Kenzo hit Cam in the head with a pillow. "Come at me, you loser!" He screeched and Cam raised a brow, smirking. "Those are fighting words, little one. You sure you can handle this?" He gasped playfully, rising up off his feet. 

I crawled out of the way to avoid their fake wrestling match, chiming in with cheers and calls as if I was the referee. "Take that!" Kenzo tackled Cam to the ground, which was amusing since he was so short. There was so much laughter in the air and all of a sudden, the sound of a throat clearing scared the crap out of us.

"Mierda!" I put a hand on my chest to calm my beating heart as we took in the radiant figure of one vampire count, his perfectly arched brow raised with those silvery-blue eyes leering at us in confusion. He looked effortlessly gorgeous, and I was sure I looked disgusting at the moment. "Master!" Cam and Kenzo both cried out in surprise, and he shook his head, not caring about their play fight. 

"I hope you guys do not mind that I've intruded on your evening, but I would like to spend time with my beloved," Kenzo shook his head, pulling Cam up so that they could exit the room. "No, Master! You may have Eli all to yourself," Cam winked at me, garnering a blush as I registered the innuendo. 

That bastard. 

My two fellow friends ran out of the door, giggling to themselves. Zander raised a brow, wondering what that was all about as he sauntered over to me, removing his suit jacket. Some movie started playing on screen, but I muted it, inhaling his smooth and light cologne as he sat down next to me.

I wasted no time, leaning my head on his arm. There was something about him that made me feel immensely comfortable. I didn't know if it was his smooth and exotic voice, or how warm he felt despite being cold, or the way he looked at me that made me feel so important. It could be everything about him.

"May I hold you in my arms, lubirea mea?"

I nodded as he opened his arms, allowing me to sit on his lap with my legs wrapped around his waist and my arms wrapped around his neck. I didn't even have time to think about what I was doing because I just didn't care. 

He smiled, looking up at me as if I held the entire galaxy before him. The smallest things he did made me feel so cherished and it frightened me because what if he, too, got tired of me?

I bit my lip, pushing down those unnecessary thoughts as he rubbed my back comfortingly. I hadn't been here for long, but it was going to be soon that I fell for him like snow cascaded to the ground in the winter wonderland. 

I put my head on his shoulder, coming to terms with the fact that despite me being here and willing, Zander hadn't tried to take blood from me. Now, I wasn't stupid. I knew that vampires needed blood to survive. It was like their life elixir or some shit. I just put it in the pile of unanswered questions inside my brain, focusing on what I could ask him in order to get to know him better.

"How old are you Zander, and when is your birthday?" He stilled underneath me, and I had to figure that it was because he was older than I originally thought. "I'm 19 and my birthday is June 3rd," I threw out, hoping that he would feel comfortable enough to tell me. 

"...it has been a while since I last celebrated such a day, but if I recall," I cheered to myself internally, smiling to myself. "It is the day of Halloween and I don't keep track of my age," I blinked up at him, sensing him relax once he realized how serious I was. "I was born in 906 AD, so I must be 10 centuries old," He stated casually, but his eyes were begging me to not be creeped out by it.

"I'm immortal, so I was 23 when I died in human form and returned to life as a vampire," He explained and I nodded, realizing that despite the intense age gap, he probably saw so much of the world.

"You'll have to tell me all about the stories and the places that you've seen," I grinned up at him and he nodded. "Why do that, when I can take you all around the world to let you see for yourself?" That sounded like a dream come true: to be able to travel and see the beautiful other places had to offer. I then nodded in agreement, knowing that it would be such a good time if I was with him.

Then I remembered something.

"Hey," I rubbed his face softly, looking him into his eyes. "I wanted to ask you something," His arms tightened around my waist as he nodded slowly. "Is it okay if Kenzo comes to school with me?" I questioned and he narrowed his eyes. "Why would I do that? You are the only exception, but pray tell," His smile fell. "Why do I need to do that?" 

I took a deep breath. "Because it just isn't right to take away someone's dream just because it benefits you," I began and he snorted, tilting his head. He was staring straight at me, his eyes glistening over as if he was testing me. For what? I had no clue. "You have Cameron to protect you, so I'm not entirely too worried about letting you roam the public world. Kenzo is a different case. If he dies, the person he serves as a blood slave to will be out of luck. We will all be out of luck, lubirea mea." Zander explained and I sighed heavily, not liking those words.

"But..." My lip quivered as I looked down, wanting to fight back, but not wanting the backlash that may arise if I pushed him too far. I desperately wanted Kenzo to come with me, but I was going to have to figure out another way. "Unless you want to trade places with him and you stay here," His words were calculating as if they were expecting me to say something, but I just simply nodded. It would be okay. I would find another way for myself as long as it meant that he could achieve his dream too.

It was silent before Zander sighed heavily, clicking his teeth as he lifted up my face, a small smile on his lips. "You're too nice to say no, which is why people will walk all over you, be mean to you because they know you won't do a thing about it." I stared in bewilderment as he leaned in, his eyes trailing down to my lips as he covered them with his own.

A soft feeling bloomed all over my body, like flower petals drifting in the air on a nice summery day. His lips were soft and warm, meaning to leave the smallest clue of love on my lips. He pulled back, satisfied with how dumbstruck I look with a fiery blush.

"If that is what you desire, I shall grant your request."

He ran a hand through his hair and with all of the courage in me, I placed several wet kisses all over his face, holding his cheeks in my palms as happiness settled within me. "Fuck yeah!" His content gaze turned into one of annoyance as he sighed. 

"Language, lubirea mea."