Vampire Bride

Chapter 5: Part One

Charlie

Curiosity only grows as I stare at Maxwell and the unfamiliar guest who joins him at the table. The older man keeps on talking even though it's apparent that Maxwell isn't paying attention. As Maxwell ignores his friend, he also refuses to look at me as he sits stiffly in his chair. He only glances over in my direction once and it's a half assed glance at that. Maybe he got the hint, maybe he moved on?

Memories of his stone like body with lack of emotions, not to mention lack of blood torment my thoughts. Deep heavy pants hinder my breathing as beads of sweat accumulate along my hairline. It feels as if the world is crashing down and I need to escape. Rushing to the bathroom to breathe through my panic attack alone, flashes of his messy dark hair and deep brown eyes play behind my eyes.

The cold water that splashes on my face barely keeps me from falling completely apart. It's just a coincidence that he's here the same time I am...right? Patting my face dry, I examine my reflection in the mirror. The girl staring back at me is unrecognizable. Stark white face, blank eyes with a quivering bottom lip. Since when am I scared of anyone? A light tap to my cheeks brings some color to my face and I test out several smiles before exiting the bathroom.

Flattening my cobalt blue top with my eyes downward at the material, I inspect it for water stains. I didn't think I would run into anybody, because most people would move out of the way. There's always one person that's just as clueless, though. A grunt of pain slips out of my pursed lips as I slam into outstretched arms who force me to stop abruptly.

"What the—" I begin to mutter before my words are cut off mid-sentence when I finally look up at the person who allowed me to run into them in the first place. "Janessa, you scared me half to death."

"Listen, I need you to go get us more drinks," she says, getting straight to business. Her bright blue eyes that match Juliet's stare at me without blinking. You can tell that she's a little frazzled about something and this drink is her rock in keeping her grounded.

"Why?" I say, eyeballing her, but quickly come to the assumption without a reply due to a flash of guilt that crosses her expression. "You've got to be kidding me. This bartender too?" The words spill out of my mouth only to have Janessa nod in agreement. "What do you need?" Irritation blocks my better judgment, making me sound bitchy.

"Four cosmos. Thanks," Janessa informs me before prancing away. She quickly disappears around the corner before I can lecture her on her behavior.

Without wasting time lingering in the emptying hallway, I make my way to the bar. Stopping dead center in an aisle, I realize there's no way past Maxwell without directly crossing his path. There are two other routes, but with waiters serving customers, the paths are blocked. In order to get this done as fast as possible, I have to suck up whatever fear or hatred that's built up toward him and just walk past the man.

Deep breath in and held tightly in my lungs, which begin to sear with pain, I hold my head high when strutting past. In my peripheral view, I spot Maxwell. He refuses to look at me just as I refuse to look directly at him. Just to make things worse than they already are, my hips sway almost over extravagantly. Who does he think he is? Does he think he can show up on my doorstep and tell me he's a vampire, let alone his property that he wants to become his bride and then ignore me?

Common sense doesn't exist when thoughts that a dead man lost interest in you. I wanted him gone, out of my life and now that he is, I react like this. Leaning nonchalantly against the bar, I'm left waiting for my turn. Lingering out in the open and unaccompanied makes my insides turn. Feeling defenseless is an understatement.

No matter how fancy the place, the bartenders are always the same. This mid-twenty cocky bartender, who looks like all the rest with his half unbuttoned shirt, ignores an older woman who was waiting before I arrived, and asks me for my drink order. "What can I get a gorgeous girl like you?" His voice is swoon worthy, but his eyes that scan over my body give me the creeps.