Chapter Five
Kip
Vampires, man.
As my new buddy, Charlie, walks away, I feel a pang of something in my chest. I hope he gets home okay.
I wish he woulda let me take him home. I hate that he’s out there, clearly drunk and alone.
What if there’s another vamp out there, waiting to take advantage of him?
I’d never hurt him. I’d could protect him.
I want to protect him. I’ve never felt like that before.
I feel Tys looking at me from across the room, but I don’t think I have the energy to deal with him anymore today. I’ve never felt so tired in my entire life. I’m usually a ball of energy and positivity, but I just can’t find those things inside me right now.
Without much thought, I decide to follow Charlie. I only want to make sure he gets home safe. He’s a prickly, grumpy, and kind of a dickhead…but he also seems soft in an unexpected way.
I’ve always been the fun, party, one-night stand type of guy.
I’m young, buff, and obviously hot. Of course I’m gonna sow my wild oats and have a good time.
But something about Charlie makes me rethink that, for the first time in my life.
I want to know him. Why is he so closed off and grumpy?
Why did his whiskey brown eyes look so sad?
And why was he so unwilling to accept my help?
I push through the crowd of smelly, and sweaty, bodies until I can get out the door. The cool night air hits my skin, and it feels so refreshing after being in the bar. My height is a bonus, because I’m easily able to see over the heads of people outside.
There! I catch sight of Charlie as he ducks down into the back of his Uber.
Is it shitty of me to abandon Tyson at the bar, when we drove together? Uh, doy. But it was also shitty of him to feast on me, so fair is fair.
I’m driving way too fast, and way too furious. Get it? That my favorite movie series. I feel like Dominic Toretto as I fly through the streets, trying to catch up to the Uber.
Today is full of all sorts of new shit. My first pet, my first time dying, first day as a vampire, and now my first time following someone home.
Guess my day got kind of progressively darker.
No longer am I dumb, hot, Kip. Well, I guess I am still not all that smart.
And I’m still hot. But now I’m also on my way to being a vampire.
One pro to that? I’ll be even stronger. That’ll be dope as fuck.
The car drops Charlie off outside of a high-rise apartment building. It’s in a pretty nice area, so my little buddy must do pretty well for himself. I wonder what his hobbies are. What does he do for work? I hope he doesn’t have a girlfriend…or boyfriend. That would suck.
Charlie stumbles out of the car, apparently still a little wasted. He scans a key card to get into the building, meaning I can’t just follow him inside. There goes that idea. How am I gonna find out which apartment is his now?
I park across the street from his building, watching the windows of the building for any signs of my buddy.
Second floor. Third window from the…ah damn. I always have to do that thing where you hold up your thumb and pointer in the shape of an ‘L’ to see which hand is right and which hand is left. He’s…third window from the left!
Vampires must have a some type of night vision, because I could see his shadow in the window even before he clicked his lamp on.
He must live in a studio apartment, because his bed is near the window, and beyond that I can see a couch, and a kitchen.
Studio apartment means no roommates, right? No partners? Female, male or otherwise?
I watch as he strips off his clothes, kicks off his shoes, and falls into bed.
He doesn’t even pull out his phone before closing his eyes.
What the hell, dude!? He was supposed to text me when he got home, and he’s just gonna go to sleep instead?
Rude. Good thing I sent a text from his phone to mine while I was adding my number.
Kip: u make it home?
I see his screen lighting up with the notification, casting a blue light over Charlie’s features.
His dark brown, almost black, hair falls messily over his forehead.
His whiskey eyes are closed, his lashes fanning across his pale cheeks.
He’s…pretty. Possibly the prettiest person I’ve ever seen.
His face looks serene…that is until he opens his eyes to look at the text I sent him.
Emotions flash across his face. Annoyance. Disbelief. And then, I see his cheeks darken, and his lips tip up into a small smile. Interest? Hope?
Charlie bites his plush pink lip, looking down at his phone in concentration while I see the three dots appear, letting me know he’s typing.
Charlie: Yes, safe and sound.
Charlie: Thank you.
Charlie: For, you know. Helping me out.
He’s so cute.
Kip: no biggie, i’d do it any time ;)
Was that too forward? I look up at his window, to see Charlie starting at his phone, with his adorable nose scrunched up and a real smile on his lips.
Charlie’s whiskey eyes crinkle at the corners.
Oooh, he liked that. There’s more where that came from, little dude, if you’re into it.
I can flirt allllll dayyyy longggg. It’s kind of my first language.
Charlie: Pretty sneaky, sending yourself a text to get my number.
Kip: wud u have given it to me if i asked
Charlie’s typing. Erasing. Typing. Pause. Nose scrunch. Typing again.
Charlie: Honestly, no.
Kip: xactly. then u wudda missed out on my txting skills. so sad :(
Charlie: We’ll see about that.
Charlie: I have to sleep now. I drank way too much.
Charlie: Which you know, obviously. Because you were there to help me.
Charlie: Anyway. Goodnight.
Kip: gnite, little buddy :)
Looking through his window, I see Charlie scowl at my last text.
I waited outside all night, until early morning sunshine started rising.
It was like something inside of me told me to stay close to him.
I’ve never even let a hookup stay the night in my bed, so I’ve obviously never stayed watch overnight for some rando I barely just met.
I don’t know why I spent the whole night in my car, watching Charlie snooze in his bed. I just did.
It’s seven in the morning by the time I get home to the apartment I share with Tyson.
Before going out last night, I put Nacho in my room with water, a bowl of cat food (see, I told you that I knew they had to eat cat food, not only nachos), and a new litter box.
Though, I haven’t really taught him how to use a litter box. I really hope I don’t walk into a mess.
“You do realize you only have two days to feed now? You know, since you bailed on me last night?” Tyson’s voice is filled with anger, booming through the apartment as I close the front door behind me.
I sigh. Yep, this is just what I wanted to walk into this morning. It’s like we’re an old married couple, bitching at each other.
“Yep.” I reply quickly, walking through the living room towards my bedroom.
“Yep? For real, dude? It’s like you aren’t taking this seriously, like at all.”
I spin on my heel, facing towards Tyson, who sits on the couch.
“Right. I’m not taking this seriously? The whole, you bit me, I died, and now if I don’t drink blood from an actual, living human, I’ll die?
Sure, I’m not taking it seriously. I mean, it’s only life or death for me.
But yeah, let’s go with your idea that I’m not serious about it. ”
“You aren’t acting like it!” Tyson’s voice raises, his eyes burning through me with rage.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how easy it actually is to pick a human and literally drink their blood. I’m sorry that I don’t want to hurt people? I’m sorry that I never asked for this!” I’m so over this. I don’t know if whatever ‘friendship’ I had with Tyson before this will survive.
Tyson’s face fills with pity and regret. The change of expression only makes my blood boil hotter.
“Dude. I know it isn’t easy for you. I didn’t want this to happen, but it did. And I won’t be able to live with myself if you die, or if you kill someone on accident.”
“Because of you, you mean. Because this is all your fault.” I don’t even try to put on my usual happy-go-lucky front. That version of Kip is nowhere to be found right now.
Tyson visibly recoils at my words. We both know he tried to blame it on me for climbing the tree to save Nacho. He’s a victim blamer. And then, he had the balls to blame Nacho for being in the tree!
“You’re not the dude I thought I knew.” I say, turning my back on a surprised and hurt Tyson.
I get to my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me. Nacho mewls from his spot on my bed, stretched out in a spot sunlight from the now risen sun.
“You wanna be my new best friend?” I ask him.
His green eyes blink lazily at me, and he lets out a soft meow.
I walk over to Nacho, wanting to stroke his fuzzy head.
Mrow.
Pausing, I stop before reaching him. He’s lazily stretched out in the sunlight, and well…isn’t it like a whole rule that vampires burn in the sun? I mean, I haven’t transitioned yet but…I really don’t want to fry.
“Sorry, Nacho. I’m not taking any chances right now.”
Plopping onto my bed, far away from the patch of sunlight, I pull out my phone. Maybe Dr. Google can tell me more about the symptoms of vampirism. And hell, maybe I’ll even find some cool underground vampire network, and someone can help me find a willing person to feed from.