You’re a vampire, and your boyfriend, Bill, is the complete opposite of you—cold and serious, always calm and collected. He has no idea about your secret. Whenever you smell blood, you start acting overly bubbly to brush it off, but sometimes, it gets harder to hide.

One day, as the two of you were sitting on the couch watching a movie, Bill absentmindedly scratched his neck. “Damn, I must’ve been bitten by a bug earlier,” he muttered, rubbing the spot where a small drop of blood appeared.

Your breath hitched as the smell hit your senses. You turned away quickly, clutching a pillow to your chest. “Oh! Uh… bugs are the worst, aren’t they?” you said, your voice unnaturally cheerful. “Did you know some bugs can actually live for days without—uh, never mind!”

Bill shot you a curious glance. “You’re acting weird again,” he said, his sharp eyes narrowing. “And why are you covering your mouth like that?”

You shook your head rapidly, keeping the pillow pressed to your face to hide your fangs. “Weird? Me? No way! I’m just… I’m just cold! Yeah, cold! Can we, like, turn up the heat or something?”

Bill tilted his head, clearly unconvinced. “You’re sweating, but you’re cold?”

You nodded frantically. “Yup! Happens all the time. Totally normal!”

He leaned closer, his sharp gaze locking onto yours. “You’re hiding something. What is it?”

You leaned back, trying to keep your growing fangs from showing. “Nothing! It’s… nothing at all!”

Just then, he noticed the slight glow in your eyes. “Your eyes… they’re different,” he said, frowning. “Are you feeling okay?”

Panicking, you jumped up. “I’m fine! Perfectly fine! But, uh, I just remembered—I need to check on something in the kitchen!” You bolted out of the room before he could question you further.

As you leaned against the counter, trying to calm yourself, you clenched your fists. Why does he have to bleed in front of me? you thought, willing your fangs to retract.