Words 

        "Anyone but you and I'd slam the door in your face" 

  Tate had a rough deep voice, as if he just woke up and he probably had considering it was six in the morning. His hair was messier than usual and he narrowed his eyes as if the light hurt them. 

"So... nice." Cassie replied. 

  She'd texted him to Mac's phone a few days back asking to meet at his house before they went to film the video and Tate had accepted the request almost the minute he got it.

  Something felt different when Cassie entered his room, like she was an intruder, like she should not be there in his room. A wave of intimacy, one she'd never experienced, overwhelmed her like a lover's first kiss. The dim morning light snuck through the windows bathing the room in soothing sunrise-orange tones. More like a dream, Cassie could see each dust particle flying into the light while the door knob tickled under her palm charging her body with the electricity of high-voltage pent-up passion.

  They were alone... in his room. Cassie caught herself thinking, oh god, Cassie the typical teenager human part of you is showing. And she could not help but feel the rush of blood to her cheeks as her skin reddened. Really Cassie? Blushing? Get yourself together.

"I--I" she whispered quietly, but the words failed to come out of her mouth. Tate sat on the floor like an innocent little kid, with his back resting on his bed and his head on his knees. She had to take a step back and draw in a deep breath before entering the room again. Tate watched her with sleepy eyes. The sunlight made her golden hair turn ginger.

"Why don't you sit here?" He asked pointing his side. "Or if you don't want to sit next to me, you can sit on the bed. I just like floors more. Well, I don't have a weird obsession with wooden floors or anything like that."

  He paused and yawned. Cassie noticed his speech was slurred and wondered if he got drunk the night before.

"You see, I just like sitting on them more than..."

  Cassie laughed nervously but she didn't sit down.

"I get it, Tate, you like wooden floors... and you are very sleepy."

"I am."

  The door opened and both of them turned around, Titan ignored Cassie and went straight to Tate's side, the boy stroked his black and white hair while the dog moved his tail excited.

"Okay, we have a long day ahead of us, are you prepared?"

  Cassie shook her bag in front of Tate. She moved the sea of written papers with a delicate touch and placed it on the desk. While opening it Cassie said, "Let's see..."

  She moved the things inside just to keep her hands busy and she talked to look less nervous although she knew that Tate could see right through her acting.

"Ballet shoes, check. Make up, check. Ballerina suit, check..."

"Please tell me you brought a tutu. I will be disappointed if you didn't."

  Tate showed off his dimples and crinkled his eyes.

"I brought it."

  Cassie took the white tutu off her bag and smiled. Tate had a talent for making her forget about her mission because right at that moment she should have been learning what he was talking to Alexander about a few days ago. She decided to mention that later when he was more awake.

"I can't wait to see you in that," Tate scoffed, still petting his dog and admiring her from the distance. Cassie blushed once again. 

"So what exactly do I have to do in the video?"

  She crossed her arms and moved her weight to one leg.

"You'll dance around the band, some shots alone, some shots with us, I don't know, Mac organized the video. I'll be just there trying to be sexy... you know, to look good."

"Trying to be sexy?" Cassie laughed.

"Well I'm sorry Cassie..." Tate moved his hands in the air pretending to be offended, "but some of us have to try because it just doesn't come naturally."

  Cassie looked around the room sliding her sweaty hands on her shorts. She sat next to the dog and started petting him too. Titan looked at her with little marble eyes, turning his head repeatedly from Tate to Cassie and back. Cassie preferred the dog not to go away so she wouldn't be so close to Tate. She was scared, but didn't know exactly why. 

  Although they were alone many times before, this time a knot was growing in her stomach. She avoided Tate's look and spoke directly while looking at the floor, wondering what was going on inside her that was so unsettling. Tate thought she was planning on running away, as nervous as she seemed.

"Whatever you do, don't be shy," he said. Without thinking, he reached for her hand. She pulled it back all of the sudden, making the dog jump in surprise and pace away.

"You don't understand... anything... you just--" Cassie knew her words didn't make sense at all. She sighed. "I don't want to meet your friends," she spat out aggressively, more defiant than she wanted to sound.

"Why?" 

"I don't want to know new people," was the only quick answer she could think of.

"You don't have to become friends, Princess. Introduce yourself so you don't look like an idiot." 

  Cassie opened her mouth to protest but Tate placed a finger on her lips.

"And that's it."

"Yep, plus they are my friends... they're not going to bite you or judge you while you dance." 

  Tate placed his hand on his chin, thinking.

"What are you thinking about when you're performing, anyway?"

"I don't know."

"Oh come on!"

"I don't know," she repeated. "Happy things?"

"Wow I didn't know Cassie-Cass could ever be happy!"

She narrowed her eyes.

"That's rude." 

"What happy things do you think of?" Tate laughed.

"Paintings? I like paintings."

"Then think about paintings when you dance, think about the colors, the texture, think about... yourself painting, the brush sliding on the canvas... you'll be happy and you'll forget about everything."

"Why are you being so nice?" Cassie asked under her breath, but Tate heard it.

"It's six in the morning, I still don't know if this is a dream or if this conversation is even real, but just let me be nice for a moment... and you like paintings eh? Name one, I will tell you everything I know about it."

  Cassie thought for a moment, still now sure just what was happening or if she wanted to start playing this mind game with Tate.

"I really like Andrea Pozzo's paintings."

"I'm guessing you like the work he did in Saint Ignatius Church in Rome in 1685. I was there a long time ago." Tate replied thoughtfully, yet making an impression on Cassie.

"Sometimes I forget that you are over a thousand years old."

"But remember Cassie-Cass, that I still have the mind of a teenager."

  Tate was fully awake now. Cassie thought, oh my god, did I wake the sleeping tiger, and for a moment she was afraid of him-- not him, but all he represented... eternal life and instant death. But how could he be a beast when he looked so innocent?

  Cassie bit her lip, slowly looking up to reach his eyes. The first thing she saw was his chin, rounded and wide, then his lips, his broad cheeks, his crooked nose, before returning to his eyes.

  Tate noticed Cassie's sudden change of expression and he knew exactly what she was about to say. 

"Alexander." They said at the same time.

"What did he tell you?"

"Nothing relevant."

Tate didn't exactly tell the truth.

"I know you're lying."

  He rolled his eyes and stood up, knowing he'd better tell her something she could believe.

"He told me that you had a month to make me want to kill myself and if you didn't, his apprentice would take your place." 

  Cassie was speechless, her heart racing. Tate turned his back to her. She could see his shoulders slowly moving to the beat of his breathing.

"And a little nice touch was when he said you planned on breaking my heart." 

  His eyebrows lowered on his eyes widened by the implications of what he'd just revealed, his jaw tensed and his hands folded in behind his back.

"I--didn't...what--"

"Here is the thing you need to know about me, Cassie..." He turned around sharply, now his fingers were pointing at the ground. "You can kill me a thousand times, but nobody breaks my heart... not even you."

  Cassie struggled to keep her eyes from tearing up, but she found strength buried deep inside and pierced his eyes.

"Why would I break something that's mine already?"

  Tate opened his mouth as his eyes grew even wider, "Don't play with me Cassie."

  Tate let out a sharp, bitter laugh that made Cassie's bones shudder.

"Why not? Isn't it fun?"

  The atmosphere was tense between them, but she didn't want to argue, not at that moment anyway. 

"I can't even tell... are we flirting or plotting each other's demise."

"I don't wanna know."

  Cassie looked away.

"Cassie," reproached Tate.

"Tate," she said imitating his tone.

"Just... I wish we could stop doing... this."

"I... I want that too"

  She didn't know how she managed to get that out. Cassie was ashamed of herself because she knew right from the beginning she wouldn't be able to complete her mission. No matter how hard she tried, all that time trying to convince herself otherwise was in vain.

"But we can't, can we?" she shrugged.

"We can try."

"You know what my job is... are you really saying that we should give each other a chance? You didn't like me a week ago."

"I mean, you are my destined love and-- acceptance is the first step, right? I want to allow myself to like you Cassie, that way we'll have a chance to love each other before we die."

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hello! I just want to say thank you all for reading this story which it's been on my head for a year now, and began to write it in april 2014 so yeah thank you all for your support, and comments and votes, this really means a lot.

On another note.... what do you think of the chapter?  will Cassie and Tate be together? will she give him a chance or it's just another trick? comment below! :D