Lethal Beauty

XVIII - Inconsistency

Abel was awakened by the sound of a ringing phone.

He had fallen asleep on his desk after reading a thick book regarding ancient vampires. Eyes still heavy with sleep, he dragged himself sluggishly onto the bedside table to pick up the retriever, only to realize that it was the same damn phone that had been ringing from the very first day he arrived.

It was a vintage rotary phone. It has cable---one from the wall to the set, another from the body of the set to the ear, and a microphone piece. In order to use it, one would have to dial by turning a disk that had holes in it. If he poked his finger in the hole, he could turn the disk and if he removed it, it would automatically return to its starting position. By some kind of ancient magic (or maybe not) he now has dialed that digit. For a young person like him, this was interesting.

It would be the same situation. As always. The person on the other end of the line wouldn't answer, so there was no idea whether it was a female or male. He'd greet the caller, hear a click and the person disconnects.

Abel assumed the same thing would happen. He decided to alter his greeting.

"Who are you?" he asked directly.

He didn't expect any answer. But he was surprised when he heard someone breathing, panting...it was slow and deep. Still, it wasn't enough to identify their gender.

Then, a brief pause; the line goes dead, and a tone cuts in.

With his brows furrowing, Abel followed the cable where this phone was attached. At least he was convinced that it was indeed attached to the wall. So, it wasn't a ghost. That was a relief. He said to himself as he looked into space, in deep thought. A knock on his balcony door almost made him jump to his feet. After the hordes of vampires tried to attack him, Abel had to stay more vigilant than usual. Even with his mark on and Iris' scent all over him, he couldn't let his guard down. Not when a senior vampire AKA Lixue, was patently threatening him.

Stopping dead in his tracks, Abel tried to listen closely, then he continued forward with more caution.

"It is I."

Abel let go of his held breath and walked to open the door. Iris was there, he was grinning from ear to ear. But there was something about his expression that Abel couldn't seem to pinpoint. He appears to be...upset.

"Are you okay?"

Not expecting to be interrogated, Iris was understandably surprised. "What makes you say that I'm not?"

When Abel moved toward him and brushed a finger on his face, Iris froze on the spot. "I don't know. I just can tell."

Iris exhaled and relieved himself of his usual don't-give-a-fuck attitude, which was another surprise for him. He had never let himself be exposed. Abel was just...

"How about start thinking as to why you don't know?" he challenged.

Abel's eyes fixed on him. "How about stop answering my question with another question?"

Iris' mouth hung there, mid-sentence, and watched as Abel walked away. Then his hand grabbed Abel and pulled him right back to him. "I'm sorry. Let's not fight."

"I wasn't. You started it."

The playful Iris was suddenly back on. "I adore you."

"I'm flattered. You have a funny way of showing your admiration."

"I came here to extend the mark early---"

"How long are you going to be gone this time?"

"Wifey, I promise you, I belong to you and you alone."