Stay Forever

Nova was standing by the passenger door, waiting for Emilia to unlock it. Suddenly, there was a strange feeling washing over her, almost like she wanted to know more about them. When Brian mentioned them stopping by again, Nova nodded, “We’ll remember that.”

Once the door was unlocked, Nova opened it, “Well, thank you again. Goodbye.” Nova climbed into the car and shut the door behind her. Feeling her nerves slowly starting to disappear, she sighed softly.

Nova glanced over at Emilia as she started driving, “That was incredibly weird.” She looked in the mirror to see that Brian and Matt were gone, “I know this probably sounds weird, but there was a second before we got in the car, I had this feeling that I wanted to wait. I don’t know why, but it was like they were familiar.”

---

Watching Emilia get into the car, Matt felt like she was slipping through his fingers all over again. He was afraid that once she got in the car and drove off, he would never see her again and he couldn’t handle that.

Looking at Brian, he realized his friend was looking at every detail of the car. Matt knew there was no way Brian was just going to let Nova disappear. Hearing Emilia say goodbye, Matt waved slightly as she got in the car and shut the door.

Matt put his hands in his pockets as he watched the car drive off. He turned towards Brian and nodded towards the alley, “Come on, we can’t leave that place for too long.” Matt started walking down the alley, knowing he had caught a good look at their license plate.

@ dezzy

Emilia looked over at her friend as they pulled out of the parking lot, “You felt that too?” She was completely surprised and perplexed that they both felt like something had been trying to keep them there, with those men. “I felt like I knew them too, but there’s no way I could forget two men like that if I had seen them before...”

The whole ride to Nova’s, all Emilia could think about was that place and that man, Matt. He seemed so familiar, like a long lost friend, but she couldn’t remember from where... There was no way she could really know him.

When she pulled into Nova’s apartment parking lot, she put the car in park and turned to look at her friend. “I think we should go back sometime. I know that sounds stupid and dangerous, but I have this weird feeling....”

—

Brian frowned, dropping his head and staring at his feet as he followed Matt back to the bar. “How could we just let them leave like that?” He muttered under his breath, as if Matt could’ve done something to make them stay. He knew there was nothing either of them could’ve done.

“That was them, Matt. It was! There’s no other explanation, their voices, Nova’s eyes- when I looked them, I knew-“ Brian felt his dead heart breaking all over again. “I need to see her again.”

@ foREVerYours.

Nova nodded, “That’s exactly how I felt. I know I’ve never met either of them before, but it was like maybe I could have seen them somewhere.” It seemed like Brian wasn’t going to leave Nova’s thoughts anytime soon.

Once they parked, Nova looked over at Emilia as she spoke. “I was thinking the same thing, as dangerous as it may be. I think we need to go back,” Nova couldn’t explain it, but it felt like she was being drawn back to the bar.

A sigh left her lips as she unbuckled, “I think there’s something going on. I have no idea what, but maybe there’s a reason that flier caught your attention and we ended up down there...”

---

Matt knew exactly how Brian felt, “We didn’t have a choice. They were too scared and uncomfortable for us to try and persuade them to stay.” He shook his head as they reached the bar.

“I know it was. I don’t know what was worse, watching her leave or seeing how afraid she looked inside the bar,” Matt sighed. He looked over at Brian, “They don’t know us, so we’re going to be starting all over with them.” Hearing Brian say he needed to see her again, Matt nodded, “We’ll see them again, I hope.”

@ dezzy

Emilia didn’t like believing in fate, that things happened for a reason, but maybe Nova was right. Maybe they were meant to go there and meet those two.

“It’s just weird and I really just want to try and figure those two guys out...” She chewed on the inside of her lip, trying to convince herself that it would be okay to go back there.

“Maybe we go back this Wednesday? Maybe it’ll be a little less busy, so it won’t be as scary...?”

---

Brian didn’t like hearing Matt say they’d have to start all over again. He knew it was true, whether he liked it or not, but it felt like a jab hearing it being spoken out loud.

“I hope they come back...” Brian whispered as they walked back into the bar. Immediately, every vampire in the place glanced up at them, the looks on their faces showing exactly what they were thinking. Brian did his best trying to ignore them as he walked up the stairs to the VIP area, wanting another drink.

@ foREVerYours.

Hearing Emilia say they could go back Wednesday, Nova agreed, “That sounds like a good idea.” She was hoping her friend was right and it wouldn’t be as crowded and creepy.

“I’ll see you on Wednesday,” Nova said, giving her friend a small smile before getting out of the car and making her way up to her apartment. Normally she wasn’t one to be paranoid, but the bar had been just creepy enough to freak her out.

Nova unlocked the door and pushed it open before turning to wave at her friend before she stepped inside. Turning on the light and closing the door behind her, Nova was quick to lock the door before walking away. She was hoping a good nights sleep would be enough to calm her nerves.

---

Matt followed Brian back into the bar, he watched as Brian made his way back to the VIP area. Seeing the looks they had gotten from the others, Matt shook his head.

He waited a moment before deciding to follow Brian’s lead and go upstairs. Matt knew they both needed to get their minds off the girls and he needed a drink.

Once he was up the stairs, he sat down next to Brian, “They’ll come back.” Matt said, knowing it was still on his best friend’s mind. “I think right now our best bet is to drink because I’m guessing if anyone here tonight sees the girls come back in and try to leave, there might be an issue.”

@ dezzy

Emilia waited until she saw Nova wave and slip inside of her apartment before she put her car in reverse and began the drive home. She couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling she still had and the pit in her stomach didn’t seem to be going anywhere, either.

When she got home, she practically ran up the flight of stairs to her apartment, taking each step two at a time and once she was through the door, she locked it back immediately. She was never this paranoid of a person, but every time she blinked she saw all of those creepy, pale monstrous looking people just staring at her. She was sure she wasn’t going to be getting any sleep that night.

---

“I think you might be right.” Brian sighed as they took a seat on a plush velvet lined sofa with a black marbled coffee table between them. Brian ushered for a server to come to their aid, demanding a glass of blood for the both of them.

Days passed and Brian was hopeful every night that just maybe Nova would come waltzing through the door, but each night he was sorely disappointed again and again. He was beginning to lose hope completely until around six pm on a Wednesday, the doors opened and both girls appeared, nervously looking around the bar.

It was a lot quieter, only a couple of people were sitting around the main floor of the pub, but for the most part it was a ghost town. Brian immediately caught whiff of Nova’s scent and before he could even call to Matt, he was rushing down the stairs from the VIP area.

“You girls are back?” He smiled.

@ foREVerYours.

When Wednesday finally rolled around, Nova was nervous as she got dressed for the night and made her way out of her apartment and down to Emilia’s car. She got in and looked over at her friend, “I hope this is a good idea.”

Once they reached the alley, Nova walked to the bar with Emilia. It seemed to be much more quiet than last time as they entered the bar. Glancing around, Nova was relieved to see it was practically empty aside from a few people.

She was slightly surprised when she heard Brian’s voice, “Yeah, we uh, decided to come give the place another chance.”

---

Matt could tell Brian was slowly giving up hope of seeing Nova again as each day passed and honestly, he couldn’t blame him. For every day that went by, Matt was starting to feel the same way.

To say he was surprised when the girls walked in the door Wednesday night would be an understatement. He quickly made his way down to the girls, just glad that they had decided to come back.

“I’m glad you girls made it back, how about that drink we offered?” Matt said, gesturing towards the bar. He didn’t want to cause too much of a scene even though there were only a few other vampires around them.

@ dezzy

Emilia was extremely nervous as they stepped into the bar, but upon inspection and seeing it was practically empty, she could feel her nerves melting away. The whole week since they had been here, all she could think about was this place and Matt. She had been unable to get the idea of returning here out of her head, a couple nights she had almost decided to come out on her own, the urge to return being that strong.

Almost the second they stepped foot inside, Emilia could already see Brian hurrying to greet them, like he had been expecting them and not long after him came Matt.

Emilia gave Matt a small smile as she followed his guidance to the bar, “How are you doing today?” She chewed on her lip, feeling incredibly anxious to be talking with him again, the same weird sense of familiarity washing over her.

---

Brian’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Nova enter the pub and he promised himself he’d do a better job this time at making her comfortable. He didn’t think he could handle seeing her practically running away in fear.

“Right this way.” He smiled at her, leading her to the bar before he went behind the counter. “Another rum and coke, or would you like something a little more fancy tonight?” Brian chuckled, leaning against the counter in front of her, losing himself in her eyes. He couldn’t let her slip out of his fingers.

@ foREVerYours.

Nova followed Brian over to the bar and sat down. She smiled when Brian mentioned rum and coke, “Something a little more fancy.” Nova laughed softly, brushing her hair behind her ear.

“Maybe, surprise me?” Seeing Brian again made her feel a little better. The bar was basically empty and she didn’t feel so on edge. “So, how are you?” Nova asked.

---

“Good, business is pretty slow during the week so it gives us time to get everything back in order,” Matt told her as he lead her over to the bar. Once she sat down, Matt went behind the bar, keeping a little distance between himself and Brian.

He wanted to give Brian his own time with Nova, and to be honest, Matt wanted time with Emilia. “So, what can I get you drink?” Matt asked, leaning against the bar as he looked at her.

@ dezzy

Brian smiled, turning his back to Nova to grab a couple different bottles off the shelf. He started mixing up a Mint Julep for her in a small square glass and even threw in a little mint leaf they kept under the bar in a fridge. He brought it over to her and slid it in front of her with a smile, “Mint Julep. My speciality.” He chuckled.

Of course, he didn’t really have a speciality, he never actually made drinks in here, but it was an easy, classic drink that he was capable of. So, his speciality.

“I’m glad you decided to come back.” Brian tried to relax, but he felt so on edge, wanting to make sure he impressed her.

---

Emilia smiled and looked at all the different whiskeys and spirits on the shelf, before asking, “Can you make a Washington Apple?” The overall tone of the bar was a lot calmer, a lot more relaxed, now that it was pretty empty. She didn’t feel so on edge, like she was in danger.

She looked down the bar towards Nova, just wanting to make sure she seemed to be fine, too. She did, so Emilia was really about to let out a sigh of relief and just focus on Matt. She wanted to pick at him, learn more about him and figure out why he seemed so familiar.

@ foREVerYours.

Nova watched as he made her drink and slid the glass to her, she picked it up and took a drink. “That’s pretty good,” Nova smiled. She was glad that they had made their way back to the bar.

“I’m glad we came back too, it’s a lot less creepy when this place isn’t packed,” Nova laughed softly, sipping on her drink. She glanced over at Emilia to make sure her friend wasn’t uncomfortable.

Seeing Emilia was occupied with Matt, Nova felt better. It seemed like now, Nova could really focus and get to know Brian more.

---

Matt laughed as he turned to the alcohol behind him, “I can do that.” He grabbed what he needed and started mixing the drink for Emilia. Suddenly, Matt was thankful he had taken some time to learn how to make a few drinks.

Once he finished the drink, he passed it over to her, “Enjoy.” Matt smiled as he put the alcohol away and leaned against the counter behind him. He really enjoyed the bar, especially on the quiet nights.

The weekend was always busy, so when he got the chance to be more relaxed and work around the bar, he took it. Of course it was a plus for Matt to have Emilia there with him.

@ dezzy

Brian grabbed a bottle of whisky off of the shelf and poured himself a small glass to sip on, mostly filled with ice cubes. He came out from behind the counter and took a seat on a barstool next to Nova, to create a more comfortable setting.

He didn’t like it much that she thought the bar was creepy and scary, he completely understood why, but he hated it. If he was able to rebuild a relationship with her, what would she think once she found out the truth? Would everything he worked toward crumble?

“Well, I’m glad it wasn’t too creepy, enough to keep you away.” He chuckled and took a sip of his drink. Brian needed something to take the edge off, he was letting his nerves take the best of him. “If it helps, it might be a little spooky in here, but nothing that would hurt you.” That might be a blatant lie, but whatever would make her feel more comfortable....

---

Emilia took the drink and sipped in it, enjoying the fruitiness of the drink. Luckily, this time, she wasn’t drinking to try and calm down. She felt fine here tonight, the bar was empty, save for just a few shadowy figures off at the ends of the room. She could barely make out any of their features, they were so shrouded from how dark the place was.

“This is delicious, thank you.” Emilia smiled and sat the glass back down on the counter. She looked back up at him, studying his face, hoping something would trigger in her mind and she would remember where she knew him from.

When nothing came, Emilia just gave up and sighed, “You know, you seem really familiar but I just can’t place it.”

@ foREVerYours.

Nova laughed softly as he sat next to her, “Well, to be fair. I don’t really think the bar itself is all that creepy, it was more related to the fact that when Emilia and I walked in, it was like everyone was staring at us.”

Seeing Brian up close, Nova took a moment to really look at his face, hoping something would click and she would remember him from wherever she had seen him before. After a few moments, Nova gave up.

“This probably sounds crazy, but you seem really familiar, but I just can’t figure out from where,” Nova sighed.

---

Matt got himself a small glass of whiskey before sitting next to her. Seeing that she seemed more relaxed than last time, Matt couldn’t help but smile softly. “You’re welcome,” Matt said, taking a drink of his whiskey.

He couldn’t help noticing that she seemed to be studying his face. Not wanting to point it out, he decided to ignore it. There was a comforting feeling for Matt, knowing that he wasn’t the cause of Emilia’s discomfort last time.

Hearing her mention him looking familiar, Matt raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her, “Really?” Just knowing that she thought he was familiar was enough to give him hope that he could possibly get her back.

@ dezzy

Brian held the glass in his hands and moved it around in circles, trying to keep himself under control. He hadn’t felt this riled up in years, he had thought it impossible to feel any emotions like this; he felt like a pit had opened up in his stomach and at any moment his heart was going to drop into it.

“We have a lot of regulars, we practically know everyone who comes to this bar, so they were probably just confused to see new faces.” Brian laughed, trying to think of a quick lie. “But everyone here usually sticks to themselves, so there’s not much to worry about… But if you ladies would prefer, you could come visit us earlier in the week when it isn’t so busy.” He chuckled, glancing around the bar. He preferred that they were visiting at unusual hours, he was almost blatantly lying when he said they’d have nothing to worry about. The vampires that came to this bar would hurt them if they were caught alone, but Brian would make sure nothing would happen to them… So therefore, they had nothing to worry about.

When Nova mentioned Brian looking familiar, he immediately returned to meet her gaze, feeling like his stomach was tying itself up in knots. “I do, huh?” He chewed on the inside of his cheek and straightened up on the bar stool, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t know if it would be a good thing if Nova found out how they ‘knew’ each other. Brian doubted she would ever remember or find out, and maybe it was safer if she didn’t. Perhaps it was better if they just started over. “Maybe I just have that face?” He smiled.

---

“Really.” Emilia chewed on her lip, not knowing how far into detail she wanted to go. “I couldn’t stop thinking about this place after we left last weekend… I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” She chewed on the inside of her lip, feeling her face heat up, getting a little embarrassed. “I feel like I’ve known you before, from somewhere, but that’s absurd because I know I’ve never met you before.” Emilia lifted her drink back up to her lips before taking a small sip, afraid to look into Matt’s eyes. She didn’t know why, but he made her so nervous and her heart was practically doing flips and cartwheels in her chest.

“I know that sounds weird….” Emilia placed her drink back on the counter and then started to pick at the skin around her nails, a nervous way to distract herself, before she forced herself to look up at Matt. “Do I look familiar to you…?”

Maybe she did know him from somewhere, or maybe they had just seen each other in passing and that’s where she was getting these wild feelings from. But she knew that couldn’t be it, because she felt like she truly knew him… “I feel like I just know you… Your favorite color is dark green?” It was just a weird fact that popped into her head, like it was just a buried memory she had of him.

@ foREVerYours.

Nova smiled as she sipped her drink, “I’ll have to keep that in mind next time.” Knowing that they could stop by the bar when it wasn’t so busy, Nova felt more comfortable. The fact that she was already thinking about coming back to visit again was a bit surprising to her.

“I don’t think so, it feels like more than that,” Nova couldn’t figure out what it was, but she was drawn to Brian. She shook her head slightly, feeling silly for continuing the conversation. It probably would have been easier to just agree and move on, but for some reason she couldn’t. A soft sigh escaped her lips, “I think maybe you’re right.”

---

Matt listened as Emilia talked about thinking about the bar. Hearing her say it seemed like she knew him before, Matt could have sworn his heart would have skipped a beat, if it could. He knew there was no reason to get excited, it was difficult for him to believe that Emilia would remember anything about their previous life together.

Of course Matt wanted to tell her he remembered everything about her. “I don’t know, but I feel like I would definitely remember a beautiful face like yours,” he told her. Matt tried not to react when she said his favorite color, “That, uh, that is sort of strange...” The fact that she remembered made him a little nervous. He was starting to wonder if she would remember more the more they were together.

@ dezzy

Brian wanted to tell her everything, how he remembered everything about her and how he had missed her so much. He looked down at his drink, remembering how he had felt when he left her. It had been so long ago, nearly three-hundred years. Obviously, three-hundred years ago was a lot different than now and Brian could never forgive himself for leaving Nova in the winter of 1708. Her family had just migrated to America, their farm barely able to sustain itself yet and that winter was a terrible one... But what was he supposed to do? Stay and possibly murder her and her whole family? Would it be possible for her to ever remember those events? He hoped not, he didn’t know how he’d try to apologize for that.

“I’m sure I’m right.” Brian smiled at her, “Not to be that guy, but I doubt I could forget a face like yours.” He took another sip of his drink and let a soft sigh escape his lips.

---

Emilia bit down on her lip, realizing she was probably making him uncomfortable. She just didn’t understand why she felt so connected with him or how she felt like she knew these weird, random facts about who he was. “I’m sorry.” She shook her head and forced a small smile, to try and hide how she really felt. “It’s just weird, I’ve never felt like this before.”

Swirling her straw around her drink, Emilia looked around the bar once more. Now that there weren’t so many people flocked here, the bar seemed much larger, much more open. Emilia watched as a couple of the servers went down some stairs hidden behind some piping in the back of the bar, that was used as decoration, and she wondered where it led. This place still seemed so off to her, even without all the creepy occupants.

@ foREVerYours.

Nova decided against trying to explain how she felt. To her it felt like they had some kind of connection that would keep bringing her back. She finished her drink and placed the glass on the table. Trying to think of something to talk about, Nova gently chewed on her bottom lip, a bit of a nervous tick she had always had.

Laughing softly, Nova looked at him, “Oh really?” She glanced around the bar. Even though there were fewer servers, they seemed just as exhausted. There still seemed to bites, maybe even more, which seemed odd to Nova if it was just make-up.

---

Matt’s head was full of memories that he wanted nothing more than to tell Emilia. The day that they had met, even though it had been three hundred years, was still fresh in his mind. He’d never forget that morning when he practically ran into Emilia. They had been together for just a few months, but Matt knew that Emilia had been the one.

“No worries, it happens,” Matt told her as he drank his whiskey. He could only imagine what she was thinking. Matt was hoping she wouldn’t remember their previous time together. He didn’t want to bring back the pain from him leaving her.

@ dezzy

“Really.” Brian chuckled, watching as Nova glanced around the bar. He wished Matt wouldn’t have made it so brutally obvious that something unnatural was going on here. Vampires would just lounge around, feeding off the servers in plain sight, which this place wasn’t meant for humans... but he hated trying to think of ways to cover it up.

“Would you like to go sit out back?” Brian asked, “We have a little patio behind the bar, it’s kind of stuffy in here.”

---

Emilia finished her drink and sat the empty glass on the counter and straightened up, “Maybe sometime we could get together...and go out for dinner or something?”

Asking men out on dates was definitely not something Emilia was used to doing, but she wanted to make sure she could see Matt again, and preferably not here. Not that she didn’t like the bar, but she didn’t always have free weekday evenings and she definitely didn’t want to return here on a weekend night.

@ foREVerYours.

Nova was relieved when Brian said they could go outside. “That sounds like a great idea,” she smiled as she stood up and followed Brian through the bar and out to the back patio. It was a nice change of scenery, even though it was just stepping outside.

“Maybe one night we could get together? Have dinner or something?” She felt a little odd, being the one to bring up a date, but it would be nice to see Brian somewhere besides the bar.

---

“Really? I could probably do that,” Matt said, trying not to seem to excited about them going on a date. He figured if they met up somewhere besides the bar, maybe it would be easier for him to talk with Emilia.

Matt finished his whiskey and placed his glass on the bar. “Dinner sounds great,” he thought that Emilia would feel more comfortable if they were in a different atmosphere.

@ dezzy

It surprised Brian to think that Nova had been sitting here contemplating about asking him on an outing, he would’ve never guessed. He would’ve liked to have been the one to ask, but he had been taking to long trying to gather up the courage.

The patio was secluded, fenced in all the way around with a painted black privacy fence. Posts were stuck in the ground with little lights curled around them and in the middle was a burnt out bonfire, seats surrounded it and smaller tables took up the rest of the space.

“That sounds nice.” Brian smiled as he led Nova to a some chairs that were sat in front of an unlit bonfire. Truly, the outside patio never got used. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t mind much because he liked having a secluded place to come to when the bar was overwhelming.

“When would you be free?” Brian sat down and looked up at the sky. The stars were twinkling brightly in the sky, completely illuminated by the moon that was just overhead. Brian couldn’t figure out why the universe had decided to bless him with a second chance.

---

“Sorry if that was a little forward.” Emilia blushed, trying to cover up her embarrassment with small laughter. Just that tiny question completely sent her stomach in knots. “I’m sure you’re probably always busy with this place on the weekend... maybe a Thursday night?”

She didn’t like being the dominant one in situations like these, but she was afraid that if she tried to leave it up to him, he would never ask and then she would have to bring herself back to this place. Which she didn’t mind, especially one quiet nights like this, but she wanted to meet him in a different setting, hopefully one where she’d be more comfortable.

@ foREVerYours.