The Bartender's Vampire [COMPLETED]

Chapter Six - Don't Ever Change

Clawd knocks on Draculaura's dorm room. Immediately, he takes a step back, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He's wearing a light blue and white flannel, a nice contrast to his dark blue jeans and black riding boots. 

Clawdeen, still dressed her pajamas, opens the door. At the sight of her older brother, her hands move to her hips. "Whatcha doing here?" she asks, the soft southern drawl that all the Wolf family members have clinging to every word. 

"I'm, umm, taking Draculaura out for coffee?" Clawd questions. 

Realization dawns on Clawdeen, something that's evident from the expression on her face. She nods in understanding. "I get it now. You're the big oaf that's been taking her on dates," she says. 

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." 

Clawdeen smiles faintly. "She's just getting ready. She's almost done," she says. She opens the door further, stepping back into the room. "You wanna come in and wait?" she asks. 

Clawd shakes his head. "I'll wait here." 

She shrugs. "Suit yourself, big brother." She shuts the door as Clawd moves to lean back against the wall. When the door opens again a few minutes later, Draculaura steps out into the hall. 

Clawd pushes himself away from the wall. "Wow, you look... beautiful," he says quietly. 

"Thank you," she says softly. Her black and pink hair has been pulled into two, curly pigtails. She's wearing a pink shirt that's covered in little black-colored patterns. The black sleeves come down to her elbows, but don't cover her shoulder. Her skirt is pink with a short, black, ruffled trim at the bottom. 

"You didn't have to get all dolled up for me," Clawd says. "But... I really like what you've done here." 

She smiles. "Dolled up?" she asks. "It's a traditional thing. Never leave the house without looking like you're going somewhere fancy," she says. She steps forward and hooks her arm through his. "You look nice, too, Clawd," she says. 

"Thanks." 

At the coffee shop, Clawd and Draculaura sit in a small booth near the back of the small building. "So, vampire," Clawd says. "How long have you been...?"

"I wasn't turned, if that's what you're asking," Draculaura says. 

"You weren't?"

"No." She tilts her head to the side. "You can't sense it?" 

"Sense what?"

She grabs his hand and presses two of his fingers to the underside of her wrist. "This."

He swallows, his brow furrowing. "You have a heartbeat," he whispers. 

"Yep. My mom was a human," Draculaura says. "I was born half human, half vampire. I'm immortal, but I still have human qualities," she says. 

"That's... amazing," Clawd says quietly. 

"Well, kind of. There are some things that suck."

"Like?"

"I have to sleep like a human," Draculaura says. "I mean, I physically have to go to sleep every night, or else I'd fail to function properly," she says. 

Clawd laughs. "That's your biggest concern?" he asks. 

She shrugs. "Pretty much." 

"You're insane." 

She smiles. "So I've been told." Straw held delicately between her thumb and first two fingers, she stirs her coffee. "What about you, Clawd? What's a fun fact about you?" she asks.

"I don't know. I don't think I have any fun facts. Uh... purebred werewolf, here," he says. 

"Fair enough. What are you going into? As in, what's your field of study?" she asks. 

"Sports medicine. Yours?"

"Creative writing," Draculaura says. 

"Oh, nice," Clawd says, nodding. 

"I like you, Clawd Wolf."

His heart skips a beat. "You do?" 

She nods. "You're a nice, sweet guy," she says. She places a hand over his, smiling softly. "Don't ever change that. There aren't enough guys out there like you," she says. "Genuinely nice." 

He swallows. "I won't. I won't change," he says. Because if you like me, there's nothing worth changing.