Rare Blood

Chapter Eleven: Something Special

Faye was in the bathroom attempting to brush some of the curl out of her hair after washing her face. She could feel time slipping away from her and before she had a chance to change there was a knock at the door. Three subtle slow raps. Her head popped to the direction of the sound and her heart skipped a beat; it was Cyrus.

She walked to the door spinning the wheels of her mind to come up with some excuse why she was dressed up then she would invite him in while she changed. She took a steadying breath and then opened the door.

There Cyrus stood... wearing a black suit and a crisp blue shirt with no tie. His blonde hair was tucked behind his ears and he was holding a bouquet of the most amazing flowers she had ever seen. He smiled and a sparkle rippled across the bottomless depths of his eyes. "You look lovely," he said smoothly making her knees feel momentarily weak.

"Thank you. I was worried I was overdressed. I was going to change and here you are in a suit."

"I wanted to make a good impression on our first date."

"Is that what this is?"

"Yes, and these are for you," he said handing her the flowers. There were white Lilies and some blue-green flowers she had never seen before.

"You didn't have to get me flowers, but I love them. Thank you."

"I'll wait if you want to put them in water before we go."

"Come in," she said stepping away from the door. He followed her in shutting the door behind him. She could feel him looking all around at her things and she felt compelled to explain. "I've only been here a few weeks. I know it's not much, but the Windsor's gave me a good deal."

He nodded and she headed to the small kitchen before her nerves made her say something stupid. She fished a vase out from under the kitchen sink, filled it with water, and put the flowers in it. She put her hand under one of the smooth, blue-green blooms, examining it. The center had bright orange anthers that set off the color of the petals.

"Beautiful," she said quietly to the flower and inhaled its fragrant aroma.

"You're Beautiful," Cyrus corrected startling her. She pulled her face away without letting the bloom go and looked at him. He was leaning against the far wall watching her with this lustful look on his face. She felt her hand drop from the flower, completely dismantled by that one look.

"Everything alright?" he questioned with a mischievous tone, flashing her this sideways grin that made her want to close any distance between them.

Drug dealer, Drug dealer, Drug dealer, she repeated in rapid recession to keep her feet where they were. It was like being doused with cold water, not ice cold, but cold enough to slow her role.

She cleared her throat, "Everything's fine. What, what are these," she asked looking back to the flowers.

"Turquoise Puya. There incredibly rare."

"I've never seen anything like them. I think there my new favorite."

"Can I take that to mean I'm on target for my goal?"

"If your goal is solely making a good impression because I can tell you right now it takes more than flowers to get in my pants..." Oh god! What did I just say?

She felt her face warm with embarrassment as he bit his bottom lip suppressing a laugh.

"Forget I said that. Can we go," before I can embarrass myself some more?

Cyrus walked to the door feeling absolutely alive. He made Faye nervous which was a sure sign she was feeling him the way he was her. He loved it. She was utterly endearing.