Til' Death Do Us Part

Chapter Four

    On Saturday, I drove my car to the convenience store. I went into the store, where I'd meet Rome so in the meantime I bought a slushie and a granola bar for Fred. Once I'd bought them, I was out of the store and headed for the corner where Fred was nowhere to be found. I figured he'd gone somewhere else for better shelter with all the raining we'd been having and smiled to myself before putting the granola bars in my purse.

    I took a sip of my slushie and waited in my car for Rome to come. It was around seven and with the scheduled time Rome always came for his water bottles and according to that, he'd be here in a matter of minutes. I pulled my phone out of my purse and began scrolling through videos on it. After about ten or so odd minutes, he showed up.

     Rome wasn't dressed in a trenchcoat or his usual hat so I could see his features more clearly now. He was wearing his hair in a bun with some strands casually thrown out but he was dressed in a long sleeve button up and slacks. He wore thin black gloves and his shoes tapped on the concrete as he walked to one of the benches on the side of the convenience store, waiting for me. My car door window was slightly down so I rolled it down and got out of my car, headed for the seat just beside him.

    "How long have you been in your car, miss?" Rome asked, looking concerned.

    "Not too long. Where do you want to go? There aren't really many places to go. But we could go to the bar if you'd like?"

    "I uh." Rome slouched in the seat and crossed his leg over his foot, "I'd rather not. I'm a lightweight and the smell of booze makes my head spin." He made a small uneasy smile but it seemed forced.

    "I see what you'd mean." I took a sip of the red slushie before speaking again, "There's a karaoke in the back though if you'd like. Of course, we could always go on a picnic in the woods." I joked.

    Rome looked at me confused like a child. He tilted his head to the side before looking away, "No, I'd prefer to stay in public." It was the first he'd been adamant or serious about something.

    I nodded, but noticed the gloomy look on his face, "Would you just like to go get a smoothie? Or a milkshake?"

    "You already have one though, don't you?" Rome pointed to the red slushie with his eyes.

    "Well yes, I do but I can always go get another one."

    "I don't have much of a stomach for sweets I'm afraid."

    "Hm. Karaoke?"

    Rome was silent for a few minutes. I looked into the red of my slushie knowing this was a fluke; he was bored. The man beside me probably had something or someone on his mind.

    I thought to myself about saying something to get out of the situation before he spoke up.

    "As long as you don't drink anything, we can go to the bar and karaoke."

    Rome's POV (Point of View)

    I glanced at Elizabeth quickly with uneasiness. She was probably looking for ways to get out of this outing, as I would if I was a woman like her. She smelled stale and definitely had health issues going on but they smelled as if they'd been manifesting for years-maybe even decades.

    "Hm." I looked at my hands which rested on my knees, "Karaoke?" I looked towards Elizabeth with a mustered smile.

    Elizabeth bit her lip before giving me a cheeky smile, "As long as you promise not to make fun of me."

    "I'm sure you don't sound too horrible." I truly didn't think I was wrong. I was. She was absolutely horrible with songs that had high notes but when she hit low notes they sounded melodic. Her voice was subtle but nice and though I didn't smile, I quite liked the sound of her voice. My thoughts wandered elsewhere though because when her voice strained on the fourth song, she began to have a coughing fit. She'd been straining it the entire time it seemed.

    I walked towards Elizabeth and frowned, unable to do anything to help her, "Perhaps you should take a seat. If you're not well, you should go home."

    Elizabeth refused immediately, "No, no. I want to keep singing. I just have a cough sometimes."

    "Then I'll order some water." I insisted, walking out of the neon lit room past dozens of humans, blood whores, and vampires to get to the bartender, "I'd like two waters."

    The bartender looked nice with blonde hair and brown eyes. He gave a smile and handed me the bottles. I headed towards the back room towards Elizabeth and her a water with a worried look. The poor girl would undoubtedly succumb to this illness soon, which was why I'd decided to step out of my comfort zone to meet her. At first, I'd only come to this town to visit the cemetery for my parents and sisters' graves. I'd gotten some water at a good looking convenience store to take my blood tablets and met a woman similar to one I'd known before. I decided against it but went back to the convenience store the next night. To meet her once again.

    Word Count: 950