The Vampire and The Traveler Ch. 04

Author's note: I just wanted to apologize that there haven't been any new chapters for a few months. This work wasn't turning out quite the way I hoped, and after a point I decided it would be best if I stepped away from it for a little bit. Recently I regained the motivation to continue it though, so I've started writing again. I'm already partway through Chapter 5, so you can expect that relatively soon.

As dawn approached, the two sat together in bed. Lilith started reading her book again, as Alex sat up with a troubled face. He knew he needed to say something before she went to sleep.

"Is something bothering you?" She asked, noticing his expression.

"Yes." He looked to her. "I'm just not sure what to do. I mean, I've loved spending time with you but at the same time I'm not sure if I'm prepared to simply move here and give up the life I had before. It's not just a matter of what I personally want, it's also all the responsibilities I have." Bringing his knees up to his chin, he thought things over for just a brief moment. "I just don't know. If I'm being honest, I feel like I need time to think about all of this. It's just a big decision, and I'm not sure what to think of everything."

She lowered her book. "It's bothering you that much? How about this: you can go back to your home, then get in contact with me when you've figured everything out."

"That sounds good. And don't misunderstand me: it has nothing to do with you, it's just that there's a lot for me to consider."

"It's like I said, I perfectly understand how you feel." She put her arm around his shoulder. "I'll give you my phone number; call me whenever you feel ready."

"Thank you." He looked to his vampiric mistress. "I really do appreciate it. Taking me in, giving me food and clothes and all that."

"It was no problem. If it makes you feel any better, your service was a fine payment." She kissed him on the cheek, and he felt a slight tingle in his spine.

"Well, anyway," trying to hide his blushing face, he got out of bed "I guess I should get going since I have work tomorrow."

"Yes, I guess it's Sunday now isn't it?"

He picked his clothes off the floor. "Uh, what do I do with these?"

"Oh, you can keep them. Call it a parting gift."

He had no idea when he would wear such a thing outside of renaissance fairs or conventions, but he decided to accept the gift anyway. Bringing the outfit with him, he was given back his old clothes and got ready to leave. Lilith saw him off, though she only followed him to the foyer since the sun had already begun to rise. With one last goodbye, he stepped out into the steamy morning.

The rising sun almost blinded him, as his eyes had grown accustomed to the dimly lit mansion. He made his way out into the steamy morning, walking along the dirt road which was still a bit muddy from the last night's rain. He looked back at the manor one last time, before making his way back through the swamp.

By the time he got back to his apartment, everything that happened at the mansion felt like a dream. He met a tall vampire in a mansion in the middle of a swamp, and even more, was fucked by her. Saying it out loud made him sound crazy, but it was all real; he had the phone number and the black kiss marks to prove it. As the days passed, he found it difficult to go back to his normal life. He even faked being sick on Monday just so he could avoid going in. He felt he needed some time to himself, and just needed another day or two off to process his feelings.

As he thought on things, his mind kept drifting back to Lilith. Try as he might, he simply couldn't get his mind off her. Just thinking about her was enough to make him blush. He had to face the facts: he'd fallen head over heels for her. Though he did not want to move out of his apartment, he still wished to see her again. It made him wonder if dating her was within the range of possibilities, as that would offer something of a middle ground. She even suggested such a thing herself, even if it was a joke.

The rest of the week went by much like any other. He went back to work on Tuesday and found himself getting back into the motions of his daily life. Even so, the vampire issue still lingered in the back of his mind. It stuck like a thorn in his mind as he went about his business. Before long it had already been a week since he left.

When Saturday night came, he finally decided to throw caution to the wind. He would give her a call and explain his honest feelings. He pulled out his phone and started dialing up. He could see his finger shaking as he punched in the numbers. He was so nervous, even though he had an idea of what he wanted to say. Just then, he heard a knocking at the door.

Looking through the peephole, he saw a familiar figure. Her face wasn't in full view, but he could tell who it was. He opened the door to see it was Lilith, the woman that'd been on his mind ever since he left. She was wearing a black hoodie with jeans; perhaps the most "normal" outfit he'd seen her wear so far.

"Lilith?! How'd you get here?! I never even gave you my address!"

"Oh that's simple, I could smell you." She stated rather bluntly. "All humans have a distinct scent, and I remembered yours."

He blinked. On a normal week he would've been surprised by that, but this had been anything but a normal week. "Well, uh...what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to discuss something with you, and it felt inappropriate to do so over the phone. May I come in?"

"Oh, of course!" Pleasantly surprised by this visit, he invited her in. It was then he realized that he hadn't done any cleaning since he wasn't expecting guests. Not to mention how small his one-bedroom apartment was compared to her mansion. As she walked in, he felt just a bit sheepish. "It's not much." He said, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I rather like it; it's cozy." She sat down on the couch.

"So what did you want to talk about?" He asked, joining her on the sofa.

"Well, I had to do some thinking myself." She started, fidgeting in her seat. "And I've decided that I should be honest with my feelings. I was interested in you from the start, and though I didn't realize it at the time, I only offered you the job at my manor so I could spend more time with you. However, thinking it over, I realized that perhaps I was pushing you into something that you weren't prepared for. If you ever felt forced into working for me, I apologize."

"Not really. I mean, you gave me time to decide and a place to sleep. I feel like you were generous through that whole thing."

"Oh good, because I was worried that I'd messed up. But no matter, thinking on things more I believe that whole ordeal was unnecessary." She looked him in the eyes with her piercing red gaze. "Would you like to go on a date with me?"

"A date?!" He blushed at the proposition. "With you?!"

"Do you not want to?"

"No, it's not that, I'd love to go on a date with you! I'm just surprised is all!" No, perhaps that was worded poorly. He was less surprised about the concept of it, and more surprised that she would suggest it before him.

"I see. Well, remember when I mentioned that marrying you into the house was a possibility? If you wish to become a vampire, then I think that might be the better route in this case. I know I said I was joking but..." she shifted her gaze to avoid eye contact with him "a small part of me was serious about it, and I've only grown more fond of you since I said that."

"I don't see a problem with that. Even if things don't work out, we can just be friends. If things do work out though, I'll become both a vampire and your husband at the same time. It's a win-win either way."

"I suppose so, yes. How about we go out to dinner tomorrow night then?"

"Sure! Do you have a particular place in mind?"

"Not really." She started fiddling with the strings on her hoodie. "I don't know any good places to eat in town."

"Oh, I know a really good place that sells Cajun food! It's a local business and I think you'd like the food there."

"That sounds wonderful." A soft smile crept onto her face. "Then we'll see each other again on Sunday night." She rose to her feet.

"Did you just come over for that then?" He asked, standing up with her. "Not going to stay any longer?" He knew he would see her again the very next day, but her visit was feeling too brief.

"I'm afraid not." She said. "There is some other business I have to attend to while I'm out of the house and there are only so many hours in the night. I do wish I could stay and chat longer, but that will have to wait for tomorrow night."

"Wait, what business do you have?"

She put a finger to her lips. "That's a secret." With that, she headed out the door and he found himself suddenly alone.

"I have a date..." he thought, fully comprehending the situation "going on that hike was the best decision I ever made."

A day passed, and before he knew it Sunday afternoon had come. He was to head out shortly after the sun set and meet her in the local park. As he thought of what to wear, he realized that she had only ever seen him in his hiking clothes and the outfit he was given at the mansion. He wanted to wear something closer to his usual style. In the end, he decided to put on a black-and-white shirt with matching thigh-highs and a black skirt. He briefly looked in the mirror, and feeling confident as ever, left his apartment.

When he showed up at the park they'd agreed to meet at, he found that she wasn't there yet. He decided to sit on a bench on casually look at his phone until she arrived.

After patiently waiting for just over 10 minutes, he finally spotted her. She was wearing a black dress, not unlike the one she wore when he first met her. Though this one was less fancy, with fewer frills and an overall simpler design. It seemed ironic that she was wearing something less fancy now than when he first met her, but he was willing to ignore that detail. Wearing one of her renaissance fair getups in public would only draw more attention. He waved her down and she quickly spotted him.

"I apologize for being late." She announced, walking up to him. "I had to wait until sundown to leave, and I had a bit of trouble navigating when I arrived in town." She glanced around. "It is rather easy to take a wrong turn, and there are so many people...I'm not accustomed to such things."

"I don't deal with crowds very well either, so trust me I get it." He said, rising to his feet. "Besides, it's not like I was waiting here long."

"That's a relief. You looked a little bored, so I was worried that I kept you waiting too long." It was then she took full notice out of his clothes. "Oh, and I didn't notice at first but that's a very cute outfit you've put together! I wasn't expecting you to wear something like that, but I like it."

"Thank you!" His heart soared at the compliment. "You look really nice in that dress as well."

"Oh, this is just something I had on hand." She almost seemed to brush off the compliment. "I think you won in terms of outfits here. If only you'd put on some makeup, it would've brought the whole look together."

"I don't really know how to do any of that..."

"The next time we meet, I'll show you. But anyway," with that promise, she began looking around "where was that restaurant you mentioned?"

"Right." He stood up from the bench. "We just have to cross the road and head down the street a little ways, follow me." With that, he began leading her out of the quiet park and into the bustling streets.

As they made their way down the lit streets, she seemed to stick closely by him. He could tell that heading out into the ordinary world wasn't something she did especially often. Having internet meant she wasn't completely isolated, but reality is a different beast than digital. In some ways he shared her nervousness. He kept noticing people looking at them as they passed by, a few giving peculiar looks. After all, they looked rather different from the typical couple: a man wearing a skirt walking beside a red-eyed woman several heads taller than him. Confident as he was in his presentation, he couldn't deny that it made him feel rather self-conscious.

They were passing along the tables of a café when Alex noticed a familiar face. It was Spencer, a close friend of his. He happened to look up from his laptop and spotted the couple.

"Well well, look who it is!" Spencer announced. "Didn't hear much out of you this past week, what've you been," just then, he noticed his companion. "Who's this?"

"Oh, this is Lilith." Alex said, a bit caught off guard by the chance meeting. "We've uh, been talking on a dating app recently and we decided to meet in-person tonight."

"Oh shit, you're on a date! Nice!" He gave his friend a knowing smile. "So that's where you've been this week! Chatting with your new girlfriend, huh?"

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Yeah..."

"And who is this?" Lilith asked, having no idea who this stranger was.

"Oh, I'm Spencer, Alex's friend. Sorry, should've introduced myself sooner."

"Well, it was nice meeting you. We really should be going however and,"

"Wait, are those fangs?" He asked, squinting his eyes.

"Oh no, these are-"

"They are! Wow you're dedicated to the whole goth thing, aren't you? You can talk clearly with them and everything, that's actually impressive. You almost look like a real vampire."

"Yes!" Alex interrupted, not wanting to reveal that little detail about his partner just yet. "She's very goth! Really loves vampires, it's a whole thing! Anyway, like she said, we should be going."

"Oh yeah, don't let me interrupt y'alls date, I was just saying hi. Have fun!"

As he waved goodbye, Alex and Lilith promptly scurried away like rats caught stealing food.

"That was close..." Alex muttered. As much as he liked seeing Spencer, they ran into each other at a bad time.

"Could these really be mistaken for fake...?" Lilith thought, covering her mouth.

Not a minute after the brief conversation, they arrived at the restaurant. It was doing good business, as was expected on a weekend night. They got yet more looks as the waitress took them to their booth. Luckily, there were enough seats available that their seats weren't next to anyone. Once their orders were taken, they began idly chatting.

"So there's something I've been curious about." Alex said. "I'm sorry up front if this comes off as rude, I'm just genuinely curious."

"What is it?"

"How old are you? I mean, you look about the same age as me but you're a vampire so that may effect things."

"Us vampires tend to stop counting after a point, but to give an estimate," she thought things over for just a moment, seeming to run the numbers through her head "I'd say around...150. Give or take."

"Ah, okay. Well I'm in my early 20s so I have to wonder: do you think this age difference is a problem? Because I've watched all these shows about humans dating vampires and that thought has always crossed my mind. I'm being serious here by the way because I'm honestly not sure."

"Yes, I've seen you humans discuss this sort of thing on forums before. Think of it this way: I may be considerably old by human standards but I'm young by vampire standards. My parents are probably well over 600 years old at this point, and some of my other relatives are even older. We experience time differently so the age difference here wouldn't be especially problematic."

"Oh, I see. So it's sort of like how a human who's 5 years old would still be a child but a dog of the same age is an adult."

"That's...not the same thing but I see your point."

"Hm," he propped his head up with his hands "150 years. If my math is right, that would be around the 1800s, right? Is that where you got your accent?"

"Yes. Us Vampires have a tendency to retain the speech patterns of the era we were bitten in. If you think my accent is unique, you should hear my parents. They were bitten in the medieval period."

"So what, they talk like Shakespeare characters or something?"

"I wouldn't say Shakespearean. If we're making comparisons to literature, I'd say it is closer to Beowulf."

"Beowulf?" His memories of trying to read Beowulf in high school suddenly came flooding back to him "Oh god" suddenly he dreaded the day he would have to meet her parents.

She laughed at his reaction. "Oh, don't worry. They've gotten much better over the years. And if you don't understand some of the phrases they use, I'll translate for you." She leaned forward. "But enough about me and my family. How about you? What do you do in your free time?"

"Oh, me?" He wasn't expecting her to just suddenly shift the focus to him. "Uh, well I'm into different kinds of animation, like anime for example. I also play video games a lot."

"I've played some games before on my computer, though it's been some time." She put a hand to her mouth. "Let's see...what was that game called again? Dune? No, that wasn't it..."

"You mean Doom?"

Her face suddenly lit up. "Yes, that's it! It was Doom! You played as a little man in hell and you would slay demons, it was quite fun!"

"Wait, which version of Doom are we talking here?"

"It was a few years ago, but if I recall correctly the game itself came out in the early 2000s or something."

"Ah, that must've been the N64 version, that one's a classic."

The conversation began drifting off from there. They changed topics a number of times, but for the most part he was just rambling about his personal interests. As the dinner progressed and they were served their food, it continued that way. Lilith listened intently, only sometimes asking a question or putting in her own comment. She didn't judge him at all and seemed content to simply let him prattle on.

After dinner and a lengthy conversation about an obscure anime from the 2000s, the couple paid and left. Once out, they began casually strolling along the sidewalk. Alex held her by the arm, wondering what to do next.

"Where will we go now?" Lilith asked, deferring to him since she was out of her comfort zone.

"Hm, I dunno." Alex thought about the different options. "Normally I'd say go to the movies or maybe take a walk in the park. The crowd and cars seem to be making you a little nervous though." He said, looking to her. "Want to just spend some time together in my apartment? It's much quieter and it'll just be the two of us."

"Would that be okay? It feels odd to simply go home right after dinner."

"It'll be fine, it's not that unusual."

"Alright then." She was acting casual about it, but he could tell some her tensions had gone down at the suggestion. He wasn't the biggest fan of noisy areas himself, but it seemed she was even worse about that. He led her back to where he'd parked his car, to begin the second part of their date.