They Call me Verona

Chapter 4

  I followed her into the bathroom. She stood beside the sink as I finished freshening up. It was all just fine until I prepared to remove my pants. Even though I knew full well she was unable to see me, I was still uncomfortable. I had never before removed them in the presence of a woman with whom I was not intimate. Well, anyway I managed, though I did blush quite a lot in the process. After I was fully dressed and was brushing my hair again, she pulled the hair ribbon from the pocket of her jeans.

"Thank you," I said and tied my hair back. "Alright, I am finished."

I followed her out into our little room. She spread the blanket out on the floor again, in the corner this time. She sat with her back against the concrete wall and patted the blanket beside her. I took a seat and she rested her head against my shoulder.

"You definitely smell better," she said chuckling. I smiled.

"Thank you, I think," I said wryly. She slid under my arm. I tightened it around her slender shoulders.

"Where are you from originally?" she asked softly. She absently traced a pattern on my chest with her fingertips.

"Tuscany, like you," I said resting my cheek on top of her silken hair again. "Actually, I am only approximately one year older than you. I was born on the 20th of July in the year 1282."

"Amazing," she said. "You are very nearly exactly one year older. I was born on July 24th, 1283." This revelation rocked me.

"Yesterday was your birthday," I said sadly. I would normally have offered my best wishes belatedly, but it felt improper in these circumstances.

"Yes," she said simply. "Did you have any other family? Besides your mother, I mean."

"Yes," I said. I felt so comfortable right now. I could almost have forgotten where we were, almost. "I had my Father, of course. Also, I have an older brother." Her fingers froze against my chest.

"Wait. You have an older brother?"

If I'd not been afraid of jostling her and thus hurting her, I would have shifted uncomfortably. Please, do not misunderstand, I adore my brother. He is every bit as good a man as I am, better I think. I am quite proud of him and not ashamed in the slightest. I simply knew where this line of conversation would eventually lead, to both my and my brother's most shameful moments. I had no way to avoid it, so I answered.

"Yes, he is..." I paused to think. How bloody old was Romeo again? "Two years older than me."

"My apologies, I must have misunderstood. I thought you were a turned vampire."

"No, you were correct. My brother and I were turned the same night. Though, I was unaware of that fact for years."

"I don't understand," she said when I did not continue. "But we will have plenty of time together, it seems. More than enough for me to figure it out." I was grateful for her ability to read my mood. Her compassion seemed unbounded.

"Where in Tuscany are you from?" I asked, idly playing with a lock of her hair.

"A little village outside what is now San Vincenzo," she said. "It's not there anymore. It was called Asilo." I was amazed, once again.

"Huh, I guess what the humans say is true. This is a small world."

"Are you from Asilo, as well?" The awe was apparent in her voice. I felt the same way. The odds against these similarities seemed astronomical. Perhaps it was only coincidence but I found that unlikely. There had to be some reason that I did not understand yet.