#vampire boyfriend gets a gothic romance inspired blurb

[senditcolton]

happy happy birthday sweet nicole!!! may i request prompt 18 with one mister ryan graves? love you ❤️

starting off with this one because this is probably the only blurb where i recommend you actually listen to the song it's inspired by. (i was also watching crimson peak while writing this so... just imagine full on gothic romance and you'll be fine [you also get a quote to set the scene even more])

Woman, Eat Me Whole Ama Asantewa Diaka

The auditorium is nearly empty. The champagne had been drunk, speeches given, and the money given. Donated to whichever charitable cause that the New Jersey Devils organization was supporting tonight.

And you were left wondering why you even bothered to come in the first place.

Jack Hughes, of all people, invited you to attend this gala as his plus one. Just as friends, simply because he was desperate since he was left ‘dateless’ at the last minute. And you took pity on him, letting the young center bring you to the gala even though he managed to leave you as soon as one of the pretty socialites caught his attention.

You didn’t fault him for it. It was an unspoken part of the deal you two shared. You just wished he managed to be a better buffer between you and the person you wished you could forget. Your ex, Ryan.

Instead, here you were, sitting at an abandoned table in the room, fingers gently fidgeting with the edge of your phone case as you finish the last of your drink, debating whether to barter a ride from one of the remaining couples or suck it up and pay for an Uber yourself. You were so lost in your internal dilemma that you didn’t notice the presence come up next to you until an all too familiar voice broke the silence.

“Could I have this dance?”

You glance up and there he is. Looking as heartbreakingly handsome as you recall, the all-black suit highlighting his pale skin, his palm upturned towards you. A silent invitation in addition to the spoken.

“I haven’t seen you out on the dance floor the entire night,” you say, refusing to give a reply. Although as soon as those words were out of your mouth, you see the small twitch at the corner of Ryan’s lips and you realize that you gave yourself away. Told him in not so many words that your eyes had been following him throughout the night.

“I suppose I was waiting for the perfect partner,” he responds. “Would you be mine?”

His hand is still extended to you, empty and waiting. Your eyes flit up to his face, the sharp lines of his cheekbones and jawline highlighted in the flickering ballroom lights, the hazel of his eyes shining even brighter than you remember them.

This wasn’t a good idea. You knew that. Others would wonder what harm could come from a single dance, but you understood that if you allowed him to get close to you again, it would be harder to let him go.

You knew that.

And yet, before you could talk yourself out of it, your hand was reaching towards his. You hesitate for a brief moment, fingers curling back before extending again as you slide your hand into his outstretched palm.

His fingers curl around yours, a bare brush of his thumb across your knuckles as he leads you to the dance floor in the middle of the ballroom.

The beat of your heart is a fluttering mess, a caged bird wanting to fly as you step out onto the hardwood floor, your hand still placed in Ryan’s. He stops, guiding you to gently turn and face him, the hem of your dress gently sweeping across the floor.

Your hand falls from his as you two face each other, the space between you filled with trepidation. It is a moment where either of you could turn back, decide against this and leave the past buried, the way it’s meant to be.

But when Ryan extends his hand to you again, there is no hesitance this time as you place your hand in his. Your hands clasp together as Ryan lifts his arm before taking a small step towards you, his free hand slipping behind you, finding a respectful place on the center of your back.

Your own hand creeps up before you place it delicately on Ryan’s bicep, light as a feather. Your eyes once again jump to his, the lingering concern shown in your irises. However, Ryan dissuades your fears with a soft smile and there is no stopping the small gasp that leaves you as he pulls you closer.

Another breath, another moment before he begins to move. It is slow, perhaps a little stilted at first but soon you relax, falling into the ebb and flow of the music, relinquishing your control and allowing Ryan to guide you across the dance floor.

“You are strangely good at this,” you muse aloud, your own gaze darting around the room, seeing the other couples out on the floor with you simply swaying.

“It’s a gift,” he replies, which is not much of an explanation but it was one you were willing to overlook if it allowed you to remain in this fantasy with him. Ryan guides you into a gentle spin, letting your dress flow out around you before he sweeps you back into his arms.

“You look lovely tonight,” he whispers down to you. You don’t give a verbal reply, just a small duck of your head as you feel the heat threatening to creep up your neck as you and Ryan continue to dance. “You do,” he continues. “Just as beautiful as the day I first met you.”

“Ryan,” you murmur, your head spinning and heart skipping from the feeling of him so close to you again.

“I remember that day,” he continues, his voice soft, almost reverent. “I think about it every time I try and fall asleep. I see you everywhere.” You lean back, eyes once again connecting to his, watching as a soft melancholy smile pulls at his lips.

“You are doing a very good job at haunting me.”

“It was never my intention,” you whisper, acutely aware of the warmth of him palm against yours, the flex of his fingers against your waist.

“I know,” he replies, his voice just as soft as yours. “I don’t mind. It lets me know that I once had you. If only for a moment.”

“Ryan,” you say again, feeling him pull you closer to which you respond in kind, your hand moving from his upper arm to curl around his shoulder, the gravity of him impossible to resist. You feel him lean into you, his face mere inches from yours, your eyes wide and pleading. Pleading for what, you weren’t certain.

“I hate this,” he breathes out. “I hate that I was the one to let this end; that I made it seem like you weren’t enough. I hate that I made you the enemy, that your heart became the casualty.”

His words make your head spin, the tears to well in your eyes as he leans impossibly closer to you, his forehead touching yours.

“But more than anything,” he persists, “I hate that I need you like this… so desperately.”

You can feel the soft heat of his breath fanning across your cheeks, the subtle brush of his thumb against your jawline. The two of you stay there for a moment, the tension between you wound so tightly it could shatter; fragile as the porcelain of Ryan’s skin.

It is Ryan that moves first, your eyes closing, not wanting to wake up from this dream; the dream of him wanting you again. You expect to feel his lips against yours, no matter how much the rational part of your brain was screaming in protest. Instead, the delicate press of his lips falls gently onto skin of your forehead; a mere whisper of a kiss.

Your eyes open, your gaze following him as he takes a miniscule step back, the distance between your bodies widening once more along with the distance in your hearts.

“Why?” you plead, your own voice fracturing with the overflow of emotions pouring from you. It’s a single question, the answer to which was immense. But somehow, Ryan knew what you were asking, just as he always did.

“I refuse to put you though that pain again,” he explains. “Not for my own selfish reasons.”

A single crystal teardrop cascades from your eye, rolling down your cheek. The mournful smile remains on Ryan’s face as he sweeps the droplet off your skin, his touch lingering there, a phantom in its own right.

“I can only hope that in another life, I somehow managed to get it right.”