Vampire at 14 Penrose Lane (re-write)

9. Hopeless Romantic

CHAPTER 9

Over a week had passed, and I didn't mention about the strange figure at Nikolai's house. The past few days were pleasant and went like clockwork. Flutters tingles deep in my belly as the sun lays to rest in the sky. Butterflies fly rapidly up in my chest as home time approaches.

It became a habit to be the last one leaving from the office building every night. It became a pleasant routine to always find Nikolai waiting for me at the bus corner with his slick demeanor. Lately, his striking face wears a soft smile when he spots me. My heart thumps at the sight and hope he doesn't notice my eagerness.

This night is no different.

I skip a few steps to reach him, trying to close the gap between us fast. Nikolai moves from the wall and stands at the ready, waiting for me to walk beside him. Once near him, I instantly feel safe, like no human or vampire or act of nature could harm me.

He'll defend me.

My protector.

He even gave me his number three days ago if ever I need it for an emergency. But I never used it... yet. No emergency sprung up. But I intended to use it soon, thinking of excuses to call Nikolai.

I ate a lot of beets today... My red blood cells are double count. Would you help me take a load off and care to take some more blood?

I shake my head. What else can I call him for, for crying out loud? The excuse can't be a burst geyser! Unless it was spilling out blood.

We stroll the thirty-minute walk home. Nice and slow. We discuss philosophy and history. He's well-experienced and possesses knowledge far greater than my understanding. I get really excited whenever he talks about Shakespeare.

"I love how the boys fall in love with the girls," I chuckle as we discuss A Midsummer Night's Dream.

"But it's all a trick from Puck. Don't be deceived by fairy magic." Nikolai cracks a faint smile.

"As if fairy magic exists?" I laugh timidly.

Nikolai slyly shrugs. "Don't be too sure of that."

I bite my bottom lip. "Do you have a favorite Shakespearean play?"

Nikolai looks at me and nods. His body leaning in — close to me. "I've always been drawn to Romeo and Juliet," he says. "The intensity of their love, the tragic ending—it's both heart-wrenching and beautiful." He thinks thoughtfully. "Who wouldn't die for love?"

My heart goes into a tizzy... Swoon!

I never taken Nikolai for a hopeless romantic, and I loved it! Who would of thought such a thing? A vampire that looks unapproachable and twice as dangerous held passion at heart. Even though it didn't beat.

"I love Romeo and Juliet, too." I murmur, shyly. I can't keep my smile away. To my embarrassment, Nikolai notices at the corner of his eye and a smirk coyly etch up his lips.

"And you?" he says softly. "What do you like?"

Well, at this moment... you. But of course, I couldn't tell him that.

I take a deep breath. "Well, it's not Shakespeare. But I like the love letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning. The way they expressed their love through words—it's incredibly romantic." I sigh. "It's like, it opens a window into your soul."

Nikolai stares at me for five long seconds with a hardened frown that soon turns soft, almost tender. His eyes glazing with emotions for a split second. Sadness. Affection. Pain. But one thing that stood out was regret. And in one blink, it all vanished. But it didn't matter. I glimpsed it, and it took my breath away. Turning his head, he looks towards the black sky above full of stars twinkling.

It seems like he wanted to know me. Even yesterday, I explained to him about my home-life in Indiana. The high school and college I attended. My careless brother who wants his music career to kick start — the endless dreamer. We don't touch on my parents, though. Nikolai probably senses it's difficult to discuss them.

How do I tell him my mom and dad died by a hand of a crazed blood-lust vampire alongside two others?

But Nikolai... he never talked about himself. Yes, his likes and dislikes, but never about his past or personal life. The vampire is still a mystery, clouded in dark shadows. It's alluring as it's frightening. A magnetic pull that attracts me, taking me deep into his darkness. I want to know more about his shaded world.

Hating being this curious, I scold myself each time for feeling like this. Why should I care to even know him? The voice at the back of my brain echoes. The rational one that guides me. He's the enemy. But I can't see him like the others, even if I tried. He's different from them. Much more different. Gentle but held power. A strong silence that appeared formidable. And yet, I discovered he's a romantic, too.

I look at him as he speaks about another Shakespearian play. His lips are moving, but I'm completely entranced by him. He speaks to me, but I know there's so much more to him. So much more to uncover. Nikolai looks at me. His molten-like eyes searing through me like hot lava. For someone whose flesh is icy. His gaze burns!

Nikolai walked this earth for centuries. He's witnessed so many things. I wanted to know as much as him, but my lifespan will be too short to hear it all. Where had he been? What had he experienced? Had he been through wars, survived calamities... been in ever in love?

I try to ask as little as I can during my walks with him. Trying my best to hold back the questions about his personal life that's flooding in my brain. But I can't any longer, especially when he talks about love.

"Do you have a special someone?" I hesitate, but eager to hear his answer.

His brows creases lightly, the soft breeze grazing the black tendrils on his forehead. "Who... like a lover?"

I swallow hard. "Yeah."

The right side of his lips jerks up faintly. "No." He shakes his head.

I suck in a breath of relief. A thrill sweeps through me at that wonderful piece of news.

Let me probe further.

"Have you ever been in love, Nikolai?" I ask another question, feeling a little bold.

Crimson inflames in his eyes for a second with his smirk fading. "Yes, twice in my lifetime." He breathes out a selfless sigh.

My brows quirk up... Two? I guess that isn't much for a vampire his age.

"What happened to them?" I ask with a curious side glance.

He pauses as we stroll in silence for a while — too long for my liking — on the concrete sidewalk beside the quiet street. I regret asking, unaware if it was a forbidden topic.

Five seconds, six, seven seconds later, and Nikolai breathes out. Even though vampire's hearts cease to beat, their lungs still fill up with air. "They're all dead," he simply answers.

I stop with the questions that are still gnawing at me. I don't ask who they were, or how and when they died. The two women that enraptured his heart.

I wince. A tinge of jealousy tickles me, and I hate it.

But I couldn't help it. I couldn't control it. This vampire fascinated me. He might have been the first vampire I've truly met. But I'm glad I did. Vampires were still bad. Still evil. Monsters that steal and kill people for their blood.

Yes, I believed it still. But not the vampire next to me. Yes, Nikolai was one. But he was good. He wasn't evil. He was helping me. Protecting me. He didn't steal blood and didn't kill for it. He asks me. Requesting permission first.

But it's just an agreement. He's protecting you in exchange for blood. That's all...

The voice at the back of my brain reminds me in a harsh echo.

Because at the end of every night, do I really know the vampire that walks beside me?