Willan #2
It’s only just past six thirty. By then, everyone will be long out of the building and hopefully, Egbert will have made himself scarce, too.
Perfect. See you then
I can barely focus for the rest of the meeting, too keyed up about what will happen the next time we see each other.
The wait is unbearable, but I make it—barely. When he knocks lightly on the door at precisely four minutes after ten, I even manage to saunter casually to the door like I haven’t been loitering around the displays right there for the past thirty-five minutes.
“Hey.” Nikolo smiles, revealing a fang. I remember what they felt like on my skin and I shiver, leaning heavily against the door. “Can I come in?”
“Oh shit, yeah.” I finally step out of the way, waving a hand.
“You’re looking good.” I say before I can stop myself, taking in his lacey black pants, motorcycle boots and black tank that looks so tight it could have been painted on.
It should look ridiculous, and for ninety-nine percent of the population, it would.
But Nikolo just has a way of making it work.
“Thanks.” Nikolo smoothes a hand down his stomach, drawing my attention to the fancy silver buckle holding his pants together, and the black boy shorts beneath the see-through pants. “I can’t stay too long. I’m meeting some friends at one. But I wanted to stop by.”
Drawing my eyes up from the tattoos on his thighs—horned creatures and flowers on one leg and suggestive outlines of naked men on the other—I try to smother my disappointment.
“Oh, yeah, no problems. Did you need anything? Or want a drink?” I turn to face the shelf behind me, pretending to straighten the divination decks to give myself a second.
“Nah, nothing like that. I just… I wanted to say thank you again for the other night.” Nikolo spins the elixir stand, watching the colours swirl. “And… I just wanted to see you, I guess.”
Damn the butterflies erupting in my stomach. Abandoning my pretense, I turn back to Nikolo.
“Ah. Well. Cool.” Fuck, I’m glad we’re alone so no one can see my epic fumble.
What in the name of the Gods was that? What was it Nikolo said about me being confident the other night?
Because just look at me now. I take refuge behind the counter.
“So what are you up to then? After. With your friends?” I needlessly clarify.
“Just heading to a bar to see some faun band—Buffalo Bettys. We used to go see them play all the time, but you know shit happens. We all grow up.” He looks down at himself and laughs. “Well, kind of anyway.”
“Sounds like fun.” I pray to the Gods that the jealousy burning my guts isn’t evident in my voice.
“Should be.” He goes to put his hands in his pockets before realising he doesn’t have any, then saunters up to the counter, leaning against it on his elbows. “What are you up to tonight?”
“Bed?” I say, instantly regretting it when my imagination produces an extremely vivid vision of Nikolo there, too, naked and tattooed and absolute perfection beneath my sheets. Nikolo nods, slowly, his throat bobbing as he nods.
“Solid plan.” He notices a book beside the register, reaching out to slide it over to himself.
The move brings him precariously close to me.
The almost-not-quite contact is a knock to the guts.
“Radomir: Creator of Darkness. Nice.” He reads the title of the book.
“Did you see they’re making movies of these? ”
“Yeah, Lusce is excited about seeing it. He was obsessed with the books, apparently. He’s dragging us all to go see it.”
Nikolo pulls a face, his lips twisting into a wry smile. “Lusce was obsessed? I’m sorry, but weren’t you always reading these?”
I scoff defensively, torn between embarrassment at being busted but also kind of thrilled that he even remembered. I tried pretty hard to keep my extra-curricular under wraps so Aleksi didn’t give me even more shit for it, but, obviously, I wasn’t as sneaky as I thought.
“Yeah, well, if you’re going to go and remember things accurately, you could say I was a fan.”
“Willan, this book is hammered. You must’ve read it a thousand times.”
I slam my hand over his to snatch the book away but he holds firm, so we end up with my hand just sitting on his. I know I should pull my hand away, but I can’t seem to make myself.
“Where’s my Daily Vampire Updates, Willanator?
It’s been two days. I’ve missed them.” The combination of my hand on his, the vaguely vulnerable tenor of his voice, the reminder of the messages I’ve been sending and my childhood nickname has all kinds of feelings running through me at a million miles a minute.
“I, uh, I wasn’t sure if I was just being annoying or whatever.”
“I would have unsubscribed if I didn’t want them.” I swear his thumb is stroking mine. Or maybe he’s just trying to get me to move my damned hand. It’s pointless. I’ve lost control of it completely. It lives there now.
“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.” I swallow against the thick lump in my throat when I finally meet Nikolo's grey eyes.
“Cool.” He says, licking his lips. “So, how’ve things been? How’re classes?”
“Eh, the usual. The intermediates almost set the place on fire three times in one class. That was fun.”
Nikolo bursts out with a laugh, rising on his toes so he leans even closer to me. I like him being closer, but as he does he moves his hand and that—that I hate.
“No shit. I have no idea how you handle that. I would lose my shit.”
“I would have lost my shit. Wasn’t my class. It was Betheny. Lusce was there. He was pissed because his favourite boots got burnt.”
“Lusce, hey. He takes classes here?” He says the name with a funny little twist, nodding his head thoughtfully.
“Yeah. He also works here in the shop. That’s how we became friends.”
“Finn mentioned something about that, actually. You guys all seem really close.”
“Yeah, we’re a tight group.” Nikolo looks at me and blinks twice.
I swear to the Gods there is a question lying unsaid between us, so I take a chance.
“It helps that none of us have slept together. I mean, Jax and Lusce are basically an old mated couple at this point, despite the other people they keep trying to date.”
“Ah. Yeah. Cool.” Nikolo winds a little tighter before he relaxes, standing up straight and pulling his curls up into a messy ponytail in his hands before releasing it with a roll of his neck.
“Hey, you’ve still got the braids.” I say with a smile. When he leans back onto the counter, I reach out to touch the plait now resting over his shoulder.
Probably in need of some blood, Nikolo’s skin is paler than usual and the faintest pink glows from his cheeks.
“Yeah, of course.” He smiles, meaning his cheeks brush my fingers.
Rather than cupping his cheek and hauling across the counter to kiss him stupid—and maybe give him something to remind him of my existence for the rest of his evening—I let my hand trail slowly along the length of the braid. It’s too damned short and my hand drops away before I’m ready.
Nikolo licks his lips again and I swear his fangs are a little sharper than they were before.
“Well, when it needs to be redone, just let me know. I got you.”
Inhaling a sharp breath, my heart skips as memories from our kiss flash unhelpfully in my mind. Across the counter Nikolo’s pupils widen rapidly and his nostrils flare. Because of my heartbeat, or can he remember what I said, too?
“Thank you.” He says softly, and I swear our faces are closer than what they just were.
Not in any way inclined to fight it, I sink into the moment, watching Nikolo's tongue dart out again to wet his lips as we drift closer and closer together.
Right until my phone vibrates on the glass countertop, scaring the living daylights out of both of us. We jump apart like we’ve been shocked and I angrily snatch up my phone.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake… It’s Bedeer.” I mutter, angrily picking up my phone and unlocking it. My phone keeps vibrating in my hand. “And now Jax. They’re in a dumbass meme war. Give me a second.”
I fire off an equally stupid gif—the first vaguely dick and ball related joke I can find—and throw my phone back on the counter to find Nikolo smiling at me.
“What?” I ask, touching a hand to my face to wipe away some imaginary, unseen thing. It only makes Nikolo laugh and shake his head.
“Nothing. You just come across as some aloof, confident grown up now. It’s nice to see the other side of you is still there.”
“Wait. Are you calling me childish? I’m insulted. I think?” Which is a bit of a stretch because I definitely just thought of the perfect gif to send of some fae guy pretending to jerk off a sauce bottle and it exploding mayonnaise all over him.
“No. Well, yes. But in a good way.” His smile twists on his lips and his eyes wrinkle in the corners. “Layers. You have layers. It’s not a bad thing.”
My stomach drops and swoops, like I’ve just gone over the edge on a roller coaster. This reignited childhood crush is getting dangerous.
“Oh. Thank you.” I lick at my lips, trying to remember why I can’t just kiss Nikolo again, if there was ever a good reason to begin with. My heart’s close to beating out of my chest.
“I better go.” Nikolo says quietly, standing up and taking a giant step back. Like I’m tethered to him, I follow him to the door, hands buried in the folds of my oqic. “I’ll be back later this week?”
He hesitates, hand lingering on the door handle. I’m crowding him, I know, but I can’t step back. I don’t want to.
Nikolo’s eyes lock on mine and the tether that drew me to follow him pulls tight again. Cupping his jaw I close the distance between us, brushing my lips over his.
“Sounds good.” I stroke my thumb over his cheek and swallow down the urge to ask him to stay. “Have fun.”
“Thanks. I will.” He mumbles, not at all believably, on his way out the door and into the dark.
Later, in bed, after I’ve finished imagining all the things we could have done together, I send him a message.
Did you know that for centuries it was believed that vampires retained the gift of compulsion—no matter what type of being they were before turning?
Then they conducted a bunch of studies about 60 years ago and found that vampires have no compulsion abilities.
It was just fear, placebo effect and beings looking for an excuse when they got busted with vamps.
Sounds about right.
Thanks Willanator. Night