Taste

Kissing Zach goodnight, I went out the front to sit on the bench with Tam. She was waiting for her next client and dabbed on some seductive make-up. If someone passed by us and stared, she'd subtly wink, leaving them with wanting more; that's just how she worked.

We shared a bag of marshmallows, but I'd ate more than my fair already.

I stared at the mark on the inside of my sister's arm. Nurses had taken blood from her a few days ago, leaving a puncture on her leather skin. It was faint but, being so close to her, I saw it with ashamed eyes.

My hand crawled over to hers and clasped it softly under mine, in time, as a car pulled up the drive. The windows tinted, I knew instantly who it contained.

Darren Mayes, established bachelor and perhaps the closest thing I ever had to a crush, stepped out. He unbuttoned his tux, winking at both of us as he locked the vehicle.

Tam's hand left mine as she quickly brushed herself down, then greeted him with a kiss on cheek.

"Hello, ladies. Emmy, how's life treating you?"

I shrugged, popping another marshmallow into my mouth. Darren was the first (and, so far, only) person that rendered me speechless. He wasn't conventionally good-looking, likely due to his skinned head and thick beard, but he was a decent person. I'd never had a problem with him.

Grinning so wide his teeth could be mistaken for headlights, he bounced after my sister. They conversed happily as they climbed the stairs.

Normally, I wasn't a shy person, I guess it just depended on the situation. And occurrences such as an old crush arriving on my doorstep? Well, I'm safely assuming anybody would be lost for words with that.

As I stared at the sky, I made a mental note to head inside in a handful of minutes. It was ten to eight already – and I really didn't feel like being cornered again tonight, especially outside my own home.

My body quaked as I'd reached for another sweet, which then caused it to jump out between my fingers and land on the masonry.

Grumbling, I bent to collect it, when my fingers met another pair halfway. It took me a second to realise I wasn't reaching out both arms.

Raising my head, I held back a hiccup as I locked with eyes that could only be described as otherworldly. Tree sap had poured into them, bees made their delicious honey here... into these things that looked at me with such indifference, but yet, conviction.

Instead of sitting there like a fool, I began peeling at the top board of the bench. It was looser than the others.

"You seem to have a habit of staying out late." He piqued a finely shaped brow. "I guess that's lucky for me, then."

Not retorting to that, I examined his flesh as I pulled harder at the planks. His skin was still healing from the attack yesterday, burned and uneven squares all across his face.

Frankly, I was glad he was injured, since from what I could remember – he was definitely beautiful.

"Now, I know where you live. Nice place, it needs a little improving though, I'll admit."

My eyes narrowed.

"Your game needs improvement." Ugh, why was I still stake-free!? "I expected the last words I'd hear before I die to be a little more threatening. Or a cool one-liner."

He exhaled curtly, attention finding something else not too far away, before he returned to me.

"Haven't you noticed by now that's what I'm not doing?"

Dropping my hands because he was so clearly right, I mentally reminded myself not to be so naive. Instead, I didn't let my span waver. He was a vampire and I was nothing but a warm meal to him. No matter what he said.

He gestured towards the bench, but I shook my head. In all his frustration, he pocketed his hands into his sleek trousers.

"I don't like repeating myself, but I had to see you again. I know that's not what you want to hear, but I'm not leaving until I at least get the name of the woman who saved my life."

Fuck me. Why did I have to help him yesterday? I think I'd much rather prefer the company of those rat-faced men.

I crossed my arms, swiftly glancing at my mobile. It was just after quarter past eight. Sometimes I thought time went by too fast. I knew I was a daydreamer and all, but I'd always been careful.

Careful enough not to hand out my name to dangerous creatures.

So, instead of inviting him to get to know me better, I stayed silent. After all, the best conversations were the ones you never had the chance to make.

"I was expecting a witty remark, so colour me surprised."

I rolled my eyes. "I would, but you're too pale."

Contrary to how I thought he'd react, he laughed. From his gut, it was loud and genuine... and I didn't know what to think.

"If I didn't know any better, then I'd say you were discriminating against me."

I stood up, approaching. Up close, I could see that I'd been correct before. He was attractive; more so than what any living body should be. The burns on his face warped some of his features, but the low-planes of his cheekbones didn't take a hit. They led to a nicely-shaped mouth, which was so rosy one would easily mistake him to be alive.

There was something about him. The way he carried himself, how much power he exuded from his deceased pores; they were enough to inform me that I best not take advantage of this situation. That something about him was just superior and unknown – but that, even in the darkest days when the clouds encompassed the moon, he was effulgent.

I wasn't going to lie: I expected my first vampire to bear a striking resemblance to Nosferatu. Buffy had been right all along.

"No." I hooked my fingers through the loops of my jeans and rocked back on my heels. "You're just not what I pictured."

"Ugly and deformed?"

Despite my head screaming at me that he was intentionally charming me, I found that I was smiling.

And, probably besides himself too, he copied.

"I didn't save you from those OneLifers because I'm a groupie, by the way. I did it because I'm a good person. When I see someone hurt, my natural reaction is to help. You were no different, I want you to know that."

Looking at me for a solid few seconds, finally, he nodded, as if he'd acknowledged it from the beginning.

Yet, still, he extended his hand out to me. It was white and lacked a surface of veins, but I decided to put the needle into the red, grasping tight.

I wasn't a fool. This may or may not turn out to be a good thing, but even so, the worst was yet to come.