Violet

24. Snowman

"And have you noticed yet how no one really cares about each other?" Arthur asked me.

Ava stayed to swim. She wasn't about to waste the remaining half hour of pool time she'd paid for. She didn't think I might get lost either. And I left with the vampire. Well, "left together" might be a bit of a stretch. We had to part halfway to the exit of the water park so I could change and return my towel and swimsuit. Honestly, I was so anxious that I barely managed to wash my hands and face with soap, skipping the shower altogether even though I should've rinsed off the chlorine. When I came down to meet Arthur, I felt a bit itchy, but it was tolerable. All I could think about was hearing more about Toby. Inside me, alongside the nausea from the excitement and overindulgence, was a conspiratorial feeling, most likely irrational, that Toby had sent his friend to me on purpose. That's how it had to be, right? In any case, I knew Arthur was the one who could truly help me find answers to the questions that haunted me.

The vampire, still wearing the cap over his head, was standing off to the side, almost around the corner of the building. He was smoking, maybe pretending he had nothing to do with any of this. He saw me immediately but didn't put out his cigarette. And as soon as I stood in front of him, he threw that question at me—probably with a double meaning. But he miscalculated, because I didn't catch any meaning at all and didn't really understand what he was trying to say.

"I don't know," I answered honestly, feeling the gray smoke wrap around me. My damp hair would now smell of cigarettes, by the time I get home.

"Like your friend, just now," he explained. "You left with some strange guy, and she didn't care. Did she even try to stop you?"

I... immediately felt embarrassed. First, because Arthur referred to himself as "some strange guy." He didn't seem that way to me, especially since he was friends with Toby, who I never saw as a real grown-up, despite the fact that he technically was. Then, I felt indignant that Arthur was judging my friend for a decision she wasn't responsible for making.

"We'll call each other later, if we need to. Why would she care?" I said awkwardly, trying to avoid coming off as indifferent in Arthur's eyes.

Finally, Arthur finished his cigarette and flicked the still-smoking filter aside.

"That's exactly what I'm saying—she wouldn't care at all," he concluded.

Behind me, the road was loud with traffic. Cars were either stuck or moving slowly, trying to get past each other. Horns blared everywhere—it was rush hour.

Sensing how much everything was bothering me—both in front of me (him) and behind me (the noise)—Arthur quickly caught on and suggested:

"Should we go somewhere quieter? Maybe grab a seat in a café?"

He stared at me as he asked, clearly urging me to give a quick, preferably positive, answer. Realizing that the street wasn't the best place to talk about Toby, I nodded:

"Only if it's not for too long. I need to get home."

***

Despite Arthur behaving more harmlessly than he had in any of our previous interactions, I was still wary of him, a little afraid even. The nearest café was just a few steps away, and soon we found ourselves alone, away from the noise and prying eyes. I took off my backpack and placed it under the table. My phone I set on the table in front of me and Arthur, for some reason expecting my friend to call any minute now, as soon as she was out of the water, to prove that Arthur was wrong about her indifference. She'd call, I was sure of it, and let him see for himself!

I sat across from the vampire, glancing from him to the side, hiding my hands in my lap as he ordered something for us from a nearby waiter. I was waiting for him to start talking first.