Ashes to Ashes

9780778324942_REVPL.inddExtracted 1 threads from 9780778324942-exw.PDFUntitled Article 01: UntitledoeCarrie, I think its time you call Nathan. I knew that statement would come, sooner or later. Id just been hoping it would be much, much later. We were lounging in Maxs bedroom, the only room in his spacious, opulently furnished condo that had a televi- sion. For the past three weeks, all wed done was lie around during the days and prowl various blues clubs at night. It wasnt as though I hadnt had time to talk to Nathan. I just hadnt wanted to. When I didnt answer, Max sighed heavily. He folded his arms and leaned against the carved headboard of his antique bed, the only piece of furniture in the room that wasnt modern. He seemed strange and anachronistic on it. Having been turned in the late seventies, Max was the youngest vampire I knew. Besides myself, of course. Hed adapted to the changing times much more easily than some vampires did. Max kept his sandy-blond hair cut short and spiky, and his uniform of T-shirts and jeans helped him blend so perfectly with the twenty-something population of Chicago, I forgot at times that he was really old enough to be my biological father. Clearly, he was about to pull chronological rank. oeIts been almost a month now. I dont mind you crashing here. Hell, most nights youve been one mojito away from a re- bound fling, and being the only male here, Im digging the odds. But Nathan is my friend. If youre splitting up per- manently, he deserves to know. I refused to argue that the only thing my sire and I had between us was the blood tie, our weird psychological link that made us privy to each others thoughts and emotions. Even that didnt connect us so much, lately. Nathan seemed to be blocking me from his mind. The few times Id tried to communicate with him, Id gotten only terse, vague an- swers. I supposed it was better than begging me to come back, but it stung nonetheless. Still, Max wouldnt take simple logic for an answer. The many, many times Id tried to explain my nonrelationship with Nathan, Max had refused to see reason. oeHe wouldnt have asked you to stay if he didnt love you, hed insisted. oeJust because he doesnt admit it doesnt mean its not true. oeOh, kind of like you and Bella? Id quipped, effec- tively ending the conversation. I should have cut Max a lit- tle more slack. After all, he had just gone through a nasty breakup himself, no matter how he denied it. Obviously, he had transferred the situation with Bella onto Nathan and me to avoid dealing with his feelings. oeI dont think I can handle talking to him right now, I said, knowing full well how lame that sounArmintrout, Jennifer is the author of 'Ashes to Ashes ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780778324942 and ISBN 077832494X.