Stay Forever

Going to the patio seemed like a great idea, especially after seeing it was nice and secluded. Nova sat down at the table with Brian, just relaxing as she looked at the stars. It was peaceful and it seemed like there wouldn’t be many people that would come out and bother the space. “I take it there aren’t a whole lot of people that come out here,” Nova questioned, looking over at Brian.

Nova took a minute to think about when she would be free. “I don’t usually have anything planned on Wednesday or Thursday nights, so whenever it would work for you,” She told him. It felt weird to Nova to be making the first move, but she didn’t want to sit around and wait for Brian.

---

Matt shook his head, “It wasn’t forward at all, I’m glad you said something.” He laughed softly, almost afraid to admit that he had been afraid to bring up the idea first, “I was going to ask you, but I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

When she mentioned Thursday nights, he nodded, “Thursday nights would work, it would be fine.” Matt wasn’t used to actually being nervous unless it came to Emilia. So giving her the control for a moment seemed like a good idea just for the time being.

@ dezzy

(Sorry for the absence!)

Brian looked around the patio, ripping his eyes away from the darkening sky, “I’ve never seen it used before.” He chuckled. The patio seemed like no one had visited it since Matt bought the place, it needed to be cleaned up, and repainted but what was the point? Sure, some vampires could’ve snuck out here with some unfortunate poor sod, but he had never seen anyone slipping out here, or returning to the bar.

“I’d make room for you any night of the week.” Brian lowered his head to look at her, a small smile appearing on his face. “But Wednesday or Thursday sounds just fine.” He could tell she felt uncomfortable making the first move, but he was glad she did. He wanted to, but he was terrified his advances would be unwanted.

—-

Emilia was relieved when Matt told her he wanted to ask her the same thing, but she completely saw where he was coming from. She had acted so terrified of this place that she didn’t blame him for being nervous to ask her out.

“Then Thursday night it is then.” Emilia smiled, picking up her glass to take another drink. “Does dinner sound fine with you?” She was half expecting him to tell her something like he doesn’t eat, to go along with the macabre, vampiric theme they had going on or something. “Or we could go see a movie?”

@ foREVerYours.

(It’s alright! I apologize for the slow response.)

Nova looked over at Brian when he said he had never seen the patio used, “Really? I can’t imagine why no one would use it, it could be really beautiful out here...” She could easily see how the patio could be really wonderful if someone took the time to clean it up and maintain it.

Hearing Brian say he would make time for her any night, Nova couldn’t help blushing slightly and looking away from him. She took a moment to compose herself before looking back at Brian, “Great, Thursday night then.” Nova was happy to know that the next time she would see Brian it would be somewhere besides the bar.

---

Matt laughed softly when Emilia mentioned dinner, “Dinner sounds fine, I’d say the movie, but at least at dinner we would be able to talk more.” He didn’t want to seem too eager, but he did want to connect with her. If there was even the slightest chance that he could get her back, he was going for it.

“It’s not really busy during the week, as you can see, so that will be fine,” Matt told her. He was still slightly surprised that Emilia wanted to see him more, but he was thankful to have the chance.

@ dezzy

(It's ok! I apologize too, I've just been super busy )

Brian smiled, repeating the words, "Thursday night." It helped confirm it in his mind that he was actually going to be going on a date with Nova, at least, he saw it as a kind of date. He knew it was nothing too serious and if anything Nova probably just wanted to pick at him a little more to learn more things about him, but he didn't mind as long as he got to spend more time with her. "What should it be? Dinner, a movie, or just a stroll through the town?" Brian chuckled, relaxing a bit more on the bench he was sitting on.

He still couldn't wrap his mind around how this was happening, how he was sitting down in front of Nova after hundreds of years. Being this close to her, he could better examine her features and he couldn't find one thing out of place. This was his Nova from so long ago.

---

"I know a nice little place downtown, they do a lot of seafood, but it's delicious," Emilia suggested, still so nervous that she was messing with her glass between her hands. This man made her feel an abundance of emotions, he made her feel an overwhelming sense of familiarity and something deep down inside of her was telling her that she could trust him. She brushed that thought off completely though because she didn't care what kind of war was raging between her emotions and her senses deep inside of her, she still knew this was a stranger. No matter how familiar he felt, she knew she didn't really know him, she couldn't.

@ foREVerYours.

Nova took a minute to think about what they would do. “I think dinner and a walk through town sounds nice,” Nova told him, excited to be planning a night with Brian. “I’ve actually been thinking about trying out this new restaurant that opened a few nights ago, maybe we could try that?” She asked as she looked over at Brian. The idea of spending time with Brian caused butterflies to fill her stomach. Nova couldn’t figure out why she was feeling so strongly towards Brian.

---

“That sounds good,” Matt told her when she mentioned the seafood. Watching her mess with her glass in her hands, he couldn’t help smiling slightly. Matt couldn’t help taking the time to take in how beautiful Emilia was. After spending hundreds of years alone, being so close to his Emilia once again was unbelievable. He couldn’t wait to go out with her and he was hopeful that they would be able to reconnect.

@ dezzy

Brian wasn't in the position to refuse, he probably wanted the date a lot more than Nova did, but the idea of dinner already had him feeling sick. Vampires didn't need to eat, and they had no way of digesting it. If he went out to dinner with Nova, he knew he'd be sick later in the night.

He kept the smile on his face though, "I'll go wherever you lead me." Brian would take whatever risks were involved if it meant he got to be around Nova for more than just a few minutes.

---

"Then I guess it's a...date." Emilia almost had to force the word out. "Should I meet you here?"

Emilia glanced over to her right, seeing another man come up to the bar and take a seat a few empty chairs down from where they were talking now. His skin was so pale, Emilia would almost bet if she touched him he would be ice cold. She watched as he raised his hand to gesture to one of the server boys, she watched his lips as he ordered something and the young boy brought him out a glass of something glistening red. She watched The stranger take his first sip and it almost looked thick through the clear martini glass. Swallowing her discontent, she looked back up at Matt, forcing a smile.

@ foREVerYours.

@ dezzy

Nova smiled as Brian agreed to go with her. She couldn’t explain what she was feeling, but it was good. “Awesome, it’s a date then,” Nova said, as she looked at him. The thought of actually being out somewhere with Brian was a little exciting to Nova. He still had that mysterious feeling and Nova wanted to know more about him.

“I’ll meet you here on Thursday night then?” Nova asked, wanting to make sure they had all the details figured out.

---

“It’s a date,” Matt confirmed, trying not to seem to eager. He could tell Emilia was still very uncomfortable at the club, “That will work, I’ll meet you outside.” Truth be told, Matt didn’t like the idea of Emilia being in the club. There were far too many vampires that could try something if Matt turned his back.

Seeing the forced smile on her face, Matt thought quickly, “Let’s go up to the VIP lounge, there’s no one else up there and we can talk.”

Brian nodded, feeling the excitement swelling up inside of him. "Thursday night." He scooted a little closer to her, feeling the smooth wood of the bench under his hands. It was unintentional, the sweet smell of her blood enticing him to close the gap between them. Brian never had to practice self control, especially not here in his own bar. This was the one place he was used to being able to just drink whenever he wanted.

He wondered how Nova would react to finding out he was dead. It wasn't every day you just run into a vampire, let alone a vampire you knew in a past life. He could feel his stomach twisting up, thinking about all the servants they had wandering around that were just walking blood bags for their clients and how in their basement they had homeless people near death, pumping out their last drops of blood to serve at their bar. He was sure it would make Nova run screaming.

Leaning in just a little closer, Brian cleared his throat and took in another deep inhale, feeling like he was becoming intoxicated. "Perhaps I could treat you to one more drink before you go?"

---

"Oh.. okay." Emilia couldn't get rid of the butterflies in her stomach. She grabbed her coat from the bar and stood, following Matt to the back of the establishment and up some black curved stairs. At the top, was a little lounge area overlooking the bottom floor. Their were dark red leather couches and black tables to match the tone of the rest of the building.

And he was right; they were alone. The bar seemed so empty and silent up here, even though right below their feet more patrons were starting to arrive. Emilia draped her coat over one of the tables before sitting down on the couch. "You can't even tell this is here from downstairs," she chuckled, looking up at Matt. "What other secrets does this place hide?" It was only a joke, but little did she know.

@ foREVerYours.

“I can’t wait,” Nova smiled. She had a feeling that once they were in a more comfortable environment, she wouldn’t be as distracted when it came to talking to him. “One more drink wouldn’t hurt,” Nova agreed. Considering she was actually having a decent time with him, another drink sounded okay.

She was starting to wonder if Emilia was still in the same situation, suddenly feeling a bit guilty that she had just followed Brian and left her friend alone with Matt. Even though the two men seemed to be the least threatening ones they had encountered in the club, they could still be dangerous.

---

Matt just wanted Emilia to be as comfortable as possible in the club. He lead her up the stairs and was relieved when seeing it really was empty. “We have customers that like their privacy and sometimes it’s nice to slip up here and get away from the crowd,” Matt told her. It was true, the VIP lounge was mostly used by himself and Brian when it becomes a little too overwhelming on the floor.

Hearing Emilia laugh, Matt couldn’t help smiling. “Well, this was meant to be secret or exclusive, so this is really the only thing,” Matt knew he was lying. If Emilia knew half of what really went on, she would run for the hills and never look back. There was no way Matt could let that happen.

@ dezzy

Brian stood up from the bench and offered Nova his hand. Opening the door back into the bar for her, Brian followed her inside and quickly tapped on the shoulder of a passing servant. "One for me. I will be at the bar."

His thirst was becoming overwhelming. The back of his throat burned as if he had just been forced to swallow battery acid. It was all because of Nova, all because of her intoxicating scent. It filled the air around him as if their were ghosts in the bar haunting his every move. He couldn't get away from it and he couldn't ignore it.

The bar was becoming more crowded now. Five or sex men sat all along the center, dressed in different shades of black, all enjoying the same crimson drink. Keeping Nova towards the end of the bar, he snapped his fingers to get the bartenders attention. Brian only tended to the bar in the slow hours because he liked it, but when there was person after person to attend to...

"Of course -" the bartender hurried over. " What can I get you? " Brian looked over in Nova's direction.

---

Emilia draped her jacket over one of the tables before sinking into one of the couches. She was able to relax more up here with no one around them. None of the deadly pale patrons or the sickly malnourished servants could be seen. It had been impossible to keep telling herself it was just a theme.

But up here, without any of those distractions, it was also hard to not feel the butterflies in her stomach. Her eyes danced over Matt, watching him as he still stood by the stair case, hands in his pockets. She couldn't ignore this weird feeling she had that they were connected, not like she had seen him before in this life, but as if her soul knew his. She felt idiotic even thinking that.

Emilia didn't believe in anything; a god, a devil, reincarnation, ghosts, vampires.... None of it existed and she knew she had just met this man. They didn't know each other. But she was still so immediately attracted to him.

"Are you going to stand there forever?"

@ foREVerYours.

Nova quickly followed Brian back into the club. She took a moment to think about what she wanted, “I’ll just have a Long Island iced tea.” Noticing that the club was starting to fill up a bit, she bit her bottom lip gently. It made her feel a bit uneasy, but because of Brian she wasn’t too uncomfortable. She was glad that they had stopped at the end of the bar and were able to avoid the crowd starting to form.

“At least you guys seem to keep a steady amount of people in here,” Nova smiled slightly. She got her drink and took a sip.

---

Matt had taken a minute to look down over the club. Seeing that it was starting to fill, he sighed. He was enjoying his time with Emilia and didn’t want to be bothered to make his rounds of the club. Shaking his head slightly, he walked over and sat down across from her, “Sorry.”

Matt smiled over at her, truth be told he was still in awe that Emilia was there. She didn’t have to come back after the first night, but here she was and they were going for dinner. He knew her curiosity was getting the best of her, but he didn’t care. “Sometimes it’s nice to come up here and just get a break from the crowd,” he told her.

@ dezzy

Brian moved to the right side of Nova, acting as a barrier between her and the rest of the patrons seated at the bar. He knew no one would attempt anything while he was by her side, but it still made him feel better to know he was between her and them. Once the bartender took her drink, he grabbed a couple bottles of spirits and began to mix her drink. "We do. We're usually pretty busy like this every night." He could tell how she had become stiff, most likely growing more uncomfortable the more people entered the establishment.

"This will take the edge off," Brian whispered, grabbing her glass once the bartender was finished with it, sliding it closer to her. The servant he had stopped when they had reentered was now approaching him with his own drink. Brian's hands were trembling slightly as he reached out to take the martini glass from the young boy. The drink inside was a brilliant crimson shade and looked thick and viscous. He tilted the glass back instantly, relieving the burning in his throat. He sat the empty glass down on the bar once he was finished, throwing it all back in one drink. He wiped his bottom lip with his thumb before looking back up at Nova, sheepishly and a little embarrassed.

---

"I couldn't even imagine owning a bar or club like this," Emilia told him. "Is it normally this busy? A crowd like this would drive me insane night after night." She chuckled, hoping it didn't come across as rude. She didn't mean it to be, but she liked her peace and quiet. Not to mention, she didn't really like seeing all of the public affection that took place in this bar, especially now that it was so crowded. People lined the velvet couches down below them, doing what to her looked like making out when in reality, vampires were down there suckling on the necks of their poor victims.

@ foREVerYours.

Nova thanked him as he slid her glass over. She took a drink, hoping it would help calm her nerves a little. “At least that means you’ve got steady customers,” Nova said as she took another drink. She watched as he took his drink, noticing his hand trembling as he grabbed the glass. Nova decided not to question it, seeing him down the entire drink in one go. “Does it ever get old? Being here when it gets crowded?” Nova asked.

---

“This is a pretty normal night for us, we stay pretty busy. It gets packed during the weekend though, there’s hardly any room to really move when that happens,” Matt told her. He nodded, “There are nights when it gets to me, that’s usually when I come up here and hide out.” Matt laughed, knowing there weren’t too many people that came up there. Most of their customers stayed on the main floor since it was easier to get to the servants.

@ dezzy

Brian wanted to look over at Nova and tell her how he felt like he had lived an eternity inside these walls because of how boring it got. He didn't want it to sound like a stupid vampire joke so he didn't. "It does." He laughed, "But I guess you just get used to it." Now that he thought about it, he never really got out much. There was usually always something to do here.

---

Emilia smiled, watching his face as he spoke, her eyes tracing over every feature. She was beginning to not be able to ignore the overwhelming sense of familiarity. "I can't stop thinking that we've met before." She finally just said it.

@ foREVerYours.

Nova was doing her best to ignore what she could see. There were people all over each other. She was thankful to have Brian in front of her as some sort of buffer from anyone else. Nova nodded as she listened to him, she couldn’t imagine constantly being surrounded, she had to have her personal space, “That makes sense.”

---

Matt really wanted to just tell her the truth. He wanted her to know about their past, but he knew better. “I’m sure it’s just because I have one of those faces,” Matt assured her. It was killing him to lie to Emilia, but he knew she would think he was crazy and leave. Matt couldn’t risk her taking off and never being able to see her again.

@ dezzy

Brian could sense how uncomfortable Nova had become once they had stepped back inside to the bar. "Do you want... to get out of here?" Brian asked her, before he flicked his eyes towards the front door. He could leave for a few hours, nothing ever happened here anyway that exactly warranted his presence. "After all, you have been drinking a little bit," he teased her, "I could take you home? Or we could go on a walk."

---

"This seems different, but maybe you're right." She leaned back comfortably in her seat, crossing her legs, but still keeping her eyes on his face. She searched every detail and feature, but it was just like none of it was new. Every aspect of him seemed familiar to her, she already knew him.

A waiter came walk by, stopping briefly to ask Matt if they needed anything. Emilia was starting to feel a little nervous, just from the overwhelming sense of deja vu, "can I get a rum and coke?"

@ foREVerYours.

Nova looked at Brian when he mentioned leaving. She nodded, “I think I’d like to go home.” She was more comfortable around Brian and didn’t think he was a threat. “I just have to let Emilia know,” Nova told him as she pulled out her phone and sent Emilia a text, telling her Brian was going to take her back home. Grabbing her drink, Nova quickly finished it as she waited for Brian to leave with her.

---

“Different how?” Matt questioned as he looked at her. Truth be told, part of him wanted Emilia to figure it out. He felt her eyes scanning his features, like she was trying to get to the bottom of his secret. When the waiter stopped and Emilia ordered her drink, Matt decided to get one for himself. He was starting to feel a bit of the thirst and being around Emilia wasn’t helping. It wasn’t long before the waiter returned, handing Matt his glass. Wasting no time, Matt quickly downed the glass of thick red liquid. Handing the glass back to the waiter, Matt waved him away once Emilia had her drink.

@ dezzy