Love Bites

Chapter Three

"Sure, let's go," she agreed in a spark of rebellion, and they left their apartment. This was fine. After all, her parents wouldn't find out if she spent one day with Nova Laverne.

As they headed outside, Vivian was once again taken aback by the stunning architecture of Aventa Academy. The building itself was many decades old, and had been repurposed into a variety of buildings before it got turned into the academy it was now. The grand windows, the twin spires that stood on the corners of the entrance, Vivian loved all of it.

"I'm guessing you're a big fan of architecture?" Nova asked, and Vivian was pulled out of her daze.

"Oh yeah, for sure," Vivian started. "I just love how the design of our academy was clearly inspired by Victorian architecture, but it's got hints of the gothic style as well. And the spires on top--I wish I could design something as intricate as those and--" she cut herself off, and her face flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"Nah, that's fine," Nova shrugged off. "I'm glad that you're passionate about your course, there's so many people out there who hate their degree from the start. But it's good that you're sticking with what you enjoy," she figured.

Vivian nodded in agreement; "You've got a point," she agreed, then realised she had no idea what Nova was studying. She paused when she realised how much she'd been talking about herself. Oh god, she probably thinks I'm a self-absorbed twat, she thought. So she hastily changed the conversation to something that wasn't herself. "So, what do you study?"

Turns out Nova was studying product design; she loved the design process and enjoyed creating things.

"Besides, I've got lots of time on my hands with the whole sleeping less thing," she added with a wave of her hand, and Vivian hesitated before asking her next question.

"How long do you usually sleep? Some people say that vampires don't sleep at all, but I don't think that's true," she mused.

"Oh, we do need to sleep, but we sleep a lot less than humans do. I could sleep for a full eight hours if I really wanted to, but after four hours or so I'm good to go," she guessed, and Vivian sighed dreamily.

"I wish I could live off of four hours of sleep. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough hours in a day to get everything done," she said, and Nova chuckled.

"If you ever want to get turned, let me know," Nova said, and flashed her sharp fangs in a smile. Vivian took a step back in surprise--she hadn't expected her to just offer like that--but Nova burst with laughter, calming Vivian's fears. "I'm just kidding, sorry, I couldn't help myself. So, where do you want to go first?"

Since Aventaville was near a college campus, there were several public amenities targeted towards college students. They passed several bars, cafes and various social establishments before they made it to a store that sold furniture. For the first couple of minutes that took a walk around the store to see their options, before narrowing down their options.

Vivian sat on a grey couch to test its weight, bouncing to see how soft it was. "I like this one, it's comfy," she told Nova and draped herself across the armrest. "I could honestly fall asleep on this couch, it's so soft," she murmured, and Nova snickered before testing the couch's weight. It was a two seater couch, but it was long enough so that three people could squeeze in.

She shrugged. "All right, I'm sold. Should we put an order in for it?"

They shared the cost of the couch since they'd probably use it the same amount, and headed to the store down the street where they could buy decorations for the house.