Chapter 49

Tessa’s POV

I woke up to the sound of my phone going off.

When I opened my eyes, I could see the faint sunlight beaming in through the window, nearly blinding me. I forgot to shut the blinds last night.

I lifted my head and grabbed my phone off the nightstand where I left it charging overnight. It was Sunday, so there was really no reason anyone should be waking me up right now unless it was urgent.

I was shocked to see Ruby’s name appear on my phone.

It was a text message that read: “Oh my god, Tessa! Your newest blog post was amazing. did you mean to post an entry from your personal journal??”

I rose my brows at my phone. My last conversation with Ruby wasn’t exactly a pleasant one. In fact, she was very upset and hurt by me. It was my understanding that I wasn’t going to hear from her this weekend and that I would just talk to her at school on Monday.

“Does this mean you’re not upset with me anymore?” I texted back.

“I’m still upset. I’m very hurt that you lied to me. But you are still my best friend and I’ll always be here to support you. Have you checked your blog yet?”

I frowned.

“No, I just woke up,” I responded as I sat up in bed.

My hair fell messily around my shoulders, and I quickly grabbed a ponytail so I could put it up into a messy bun and out of my face.

“Go check it out!!” Ruby texted back only a few minutes later.

I didn’t bother responding to that text. Instead, I slid out of bed and made my way to my computer.

I wondered if Joseph was awake still and if he had seen what I posted as well. My face warmed at the very thought of Joseph reading something of mine that was so deeply personal. I couldn’t believe that others have read it as well.

My heart was practically pounding out of my chest, desperate to escape from my body, as I pulled open my blog.

I stared at it for a long while, staring at the number of followers that I had, and my body felt incredibly numb.

I gained 50 followers overnight!

I couldn’t believe it.

Was Joseph right about posting personal stuff?

I even had some comments under my recent blog post, and I clicked on them, fearing what they might say.

“Wow, Tessa! I had no idea you were going through that! I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“What an incredible story! I really enjoyed it. Please write more stuff like this!”

“I’d like to hear more about your life! Please keep these posts coming!!”

I could hardly even breathe. There were only a few comments, but they were all so kind.

I was astonished by the feedback I was getting.

I quickly stood to my feet. I needed to catch Joseph before he went to bed. I wanted to tell him about how right he was and thank him for his input.

Rushing out of my room, I went down the stairs and towards his study. It was still early enough that he might still be awake.

I knocked on his study door and waited for a response, when I didn’t get any, I knocked again.

Still no answer.

I furrowed my brows together and tried the doorknob, but it was locked. Which meant he was probably not there. I sighed, leaning against the door. He must have gone to bed already.

I hated admitting to myself that living with a vampire was lonely. I knew I probably wouldn’t be seeing him a lot, but I miss having someone to talk to daily. I couldn’t even talk to Ruby as much as I wanted to.

Brushing the thought out of my mind, I decided to just go to Joseph’s library down the hallway. He gave me permission to go there, and I don’t spend nearly enough time there as I should.

His library was gorgeous and not to mention huge. It was two stories with an entrance upstairs as well. I was half expecting to see a librarian pop up out of nowhere, but that didn’t happen.

Instead, as I walked around the corners of the many bookshelves that occupied the room, I paused when I saw Joseph sitting on one of the couches with his laptop on his lap.

He looked so casual and comfortable curled up on the couch by himself and typing something intently on his computer. He looked carefree and engrossed in his work. I admired that about him, and I really didn’t want to disturb him.

I suppose my news could wait till later.

I turned to leave him alone but froze when I heard his voice behind me.

“Did you need something?”

“It can wait,” I found myself saying without turning back to face him.

“I’m just wrapping up for the morning anyway,” Joseph said. “If you’d like, you can sit with me.”

Heat rose into my features, and I was suddenly feeling a little nervous around him. I swallowed the feeling down until it bubbled in the pit of my stomach, and I turned to face him. He was now staring at me with a curious look in his eyes. The rest of his face remained expressionless.

I took a deep breath and sat with him on the couch.

“Why do you look like you’re about to throw up?” Joseph asked, cocking his head to the side as he took in my appearance.

The answer to that question was that I felt like I was going to throw up, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. Instead, I forced a light laugh and fiddled with the bun on top of my head.

“I got some positive feedback on my blog,” I blurted. I couldn’t contain the excitement that filled me.

“It was a really good post,” Joseph said, giving me a head nod.

“You read it?!” I gasped.

He nodded.

“I’m glad you listened to me about posting your journal entry. Post more of those and you’ll gain even more followers.”

“I appreciate your help,” I told him, staring down at my lap.

Why was I suddenly feeling like a child?

“Need any more tips, let me know,” Joseph said.

He started to type on his computer again, disregarding the fact that I was sitting right next to him.

“Why are you working here and not in your study?”

“I can write better when I’m in the library. I’m surrounded with inspiration, and I need inspiration when I’m writing a book.”

I gasped at his words, nearly jumping to my feet.

“You’re in the middle of writing your book?” I said, now I was aiming to get a glimpse of his computer, but he turned it away from me before could fully see the screen.

“Yes, and I’m not revealing it until it’s finished.”

“I heard rumors that you were working on a new book. But nothing’s been confirmed. What’s it about??” I asked eagerly.

“I just said I’m not revealing it.”

“Not even a little something?” I asked. I stuck out my bottom lip slightly and gave him my sincerest look.

He stared at me for a moment, and I thought for sure he was going to kick me out of the library. I knew he wouldn’t be persuaded by the puppy dog look, but to my surprise, he sighed and turned his laptop to face me.

“It’s about the lost city of Endovier,” he explained. “It’s a prequel to my last release. If you’ve read my series, Enchanted Cove, then you’d know what Endovier is—”

“Will Alex and Marina be in this book as well?” I asked, referring to the male and female protagonists of the Enchanted Cove series, which was my favorite book series of all time.

The fact that he was making a prequel sent excitement coursing through my body and I nearly jumped out of my seat.

“That I won’t reveal. You’ll have to read the book to find out.”

He turned his laptop away from me again, and this time, he turned it off.

He stood to his feet with his laptop in hand and started to walk away, probably off to bed. I stared after him, admiring his hard work and dedication. He loved what he did, and it showed heavily in his work. I was amazed by his writing and impressed with his willpower to keep going despite having done this for centuries.

He was so successful, and it was almost intimidating.

Brian doesn’t think I can make it as a real writer. He says 1 out of a million will make it as successful writers and that made me sad to think about.

“Joseph?” I called after him before he fully disappeared.

He paused and turned back to look at me.

“Was it hard?” I asked, lowering my tone slightly. “To make it big as a writer? Is it difficult to be a paid writer?”

He kept his eyes steadily on mine, refusing to drop eye contact.

“I won’t lie, it takes a lot of hard work dedication, but I truly believe you have actually what it takes,” he said with certainty.

My heart was heavy as I thought about my recent argument with Brian. While I was with Brian, I dismissed the thought of being a writer knowing he would never approve of such a thing. But now I have this whole sense of freedom and I cano whatever I wanted with it.

So, what was holding me back? Why did I suddenly have this fear and uncertainty clouding my brain.