Chapter 2 â Where We Keep Meeting
Sleep never came easily after that night.
Your kind didnât dreamânot the way humans did. Rest was simply a quieting of the mind, a return to stillness before another assignment.
But every time you closed your eyesâŚ
The way theyâd searched yours without fear.
Without the instinctive disgust every vampire shouldâve felt toward something holy.
It bothered you more than you cared to admit.
Your report remained unfinished.
The blank parchment sat on your apartment desk, illuminated by the pale glow of the city outside your window.
Vampire activity confirmed.
You wrote the sentence three different times.
Each time your quill hovered over the next line.
Describe the unidentified vampire.
He hadnât attacked you.
He hadnât threatened anyone.
He hadnât even run after your identity was revealed.
He had simply⌠watched.
Like he was trying to understand you.
With a frustrated sigh, you crumpled the page and tossed it aside.
Youâd finish it tomorrow.
Tomorrow became three nights later.
You hadnât seen him since the club.
Part of you was relieved.
It irritated you how often your eyes wandered over crowds now, lingering on rooftops and second-story balconies before you caught yourself.
He was just another vampire.
The city bustled beneath a cloudy evening sky as you wandered through a weekend night market.
Strings of warm lights hung overhead while musicians played somewhere farther down the street. Vendors called out to passing strangers, offering handmade jewelry, vintage records, flowers, and steaming food.
You almost forgot why you were here.
Until the familiar sensation crawled across the back of your neck.
Someone was watching you.
Teenagers crowded around food trucks.
A little girl chased bubbles floating through the air.
âYou always look over your shoulder?â
He stood beside a record stall, flipping lazily through vinyl albums as though heâd been there the entire time.
Hands tucked casually into his pockets.
He didnât even look at you.
âYou should stop doing that,â he added.
âYouâll make yourself dizzy.â
ââŚDo you enjoy sneaking up on people?â
âI enjoy watching people realize theyâve been distracted.â
âWere you following me?â
You hadnât noticed him.
That annoyed you more than it should have.
Silence settled between you.
Finally, he pulled a record from the shelf.
The question caught you completely off guard.
He lifted the vinyl slightly.
âI know what music is.â
âThat wouldâve been awkward.â
You couldnât stop the tiny laugh that escaped.
His eyes shifted back to you.
Like heâd discovered something important.
âYou never told me your name.â
âI figured youâd lie.â
âPeople call me hollis.â
The name sounded almost too ordinary.
He repeated it quietly, testing the sound.
Something about the way he said your name made it feel different.
Like heâd tucked it away somewhere safe.
âYou still think I smell wrong?â you asked before you could stop yourself.
âYou remembered that.â
âI remember insults.â
âIt wasnât an insult.â
He stepped closerânot enough to invade your space, just enough that you noticed.
His gaze lingered for only a second.
He paused, searching for words.
ââŚLike rain before it falls.â
âThat doesnât make sense.â
âIt isnât possible.â
ââŚThen why say it?â
His shoulders rose slightly.
âBecause itâs true.â
A loud crash echoed from the opposite end of the market.
Instinct snapped both of your heads toward the sound at the same time.
He barreled through the crowd toward a terrified man.
Without exchanging a single word, the two of you reached the vampire at the same moment.
Your hand caught the attackerâs wrist.
hollis grabbed the back of his jacket.
The younger vampire froze between you.
His wild eyes darted from your faceâŚ
âI-I didnât know she was with you.â
He looked just as confused.
The younger vampire didnât wait to hear another word.
He tore himself free and fled into the darkness.
The crowd, assuming it had all been some strange fight, slowly began to settle.
But neither you nor hollis moved.
The words lingered between you.
âI didnât know she was with you.â
You finally broke the silence.
ââŚWhy would he think that?â
hollis watched the alley where the vampire had disappeared.
His expression turned unreadable.
His eyes found yours again.
âI think someone wants everyone else to believe it.â
And somewhere above the cityâŚ
Hidden by clouds and watching from impossible heightsâŚ
A pair of golden eyes silently observed the two of you standing side by side.
The Council had finally noticed.
And they were no longer content to simply watch.
a/n:I hate finding pictures..
@iluv2hollis @unicornfairysparkle69 @lovemehardcoreangel
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