Chapter Twenty Four
“How do you feel about the beach?” Julien asked the next morning at breakfast.
It was after sundown, and two hours after Luis had woken up sandwiched between the two of them, having slept through the night for the first time since the basement.
He felt, in contrast to the days prior, remarkably better. His exhaustion and the dark cloud that had been hanging over him had both dissipated.
Even his hand now had just a pale scar.
“I like the beach,” Luis said.
“I thought it might be nice to get out of the house, stretch our legs,” Julien said.
“Are you sure that’s… safe?” Luis asked. Neither had so much as even suggested they go to the bar the last two Fridays.
“Well,” Julien smoothed the napkin at his setting.
He was having a glass of blood, no food.
“I was thinking about it, and well, it’s never going to be truly safe, is it?
It’ll be a long time until a court gets a conviction, and someone who wishes us harm could already be out on bail.
Are we going to hide away in this house until then? No, I don’t think that’s practical.”
Luis frowned. “I couldn’t handle it if anything happened to either one of you.”
“Quit worrying,” Karim said from the other side of the table. “Vampires are tough to kill. Someone would have to get pretty close and be willing to do a lot of physical violence to achieve that, and personally I’d love someone to try me.”
Luis wanted to ask just how tough to kill they were, but also didn’t want the gory details.
“It’s you we worry about,” Julien said. “But if we all go out together, I think it could be nice. We’ll drive a ways, make sure no one is following us. What do you think?”
Karim had made him an omelet for breakfast, and Luis forked the last bite and stuck it in his mouth while he thought it through.
He saw Julien’s point. At some point he’d have to go back to living his life. Wasn’t that what all the applications for apartments were about?
“Okay,” he said after he swallowed. “Okay, yeah. Let’s… go to the beach.”
“Yes, fieldtrip!” Karim grinned, grabbing his untouched glass for the first time. He tipped it and downed the whole thing in one long swallow, then grimaced.
“Dramatic,” Julien scolded. Then to Luis, “Alright, after breakfast we’ll pack up and go.”
##
An hour later the three of them were in the car and dressed for the beach. Julien drove, and Karim put on Indian pop music.
It was a cool, nice night, so Julien cracked the windows to let a breeze blow through as he drove toward the coast. Luis caught Karim’s eyes a few times in the rearview as he kept a sharp lookout for any tails.
Despite the hour, when they pulled into the beach parking lot, there were a few other cars there. Across the sand Luis could see other beachgoers in clumps dotting the shoreline.
With towels, a cooler, and beach chairs in tow, the three of them walked down toward the water until they were able to find a quiet spot to set up. Luis didn’t miss the two of them scanning the beach, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Julien and Karim set up the chairs, and Luis laid out the blanket. The drive had been relaxing, but now he was antsy with nervous energy.
“We weren’t followed,” Karim said.
“I know. Sorry,” Luis toed out of his shoes and set them aside. The sand was underfoot.
Julien’s hand touched his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “It’s okay to feel nervous. Just know that you’re safe with us.”
“I’ll kick anyone’s ass who bothers you,” Karim said.
Luis’s shoulders jumped with a startled laugh. “I do, um, feel safe with you both.”
“Good,” Julien said, letting him go to slide elegantly down into his beach chair.
“C’mon, let’s go swimming,” Karim said, starting to pull off his shirt. It was clearly a distraction, and Luis let it be one.
He’d never seen Karim shirtless. Now, he couldn’t look away as the clothing came off. Karim was all dark skin and muscle, thick curls of dark hair across his chest. He was fit, but the kind that wasn’t rigidly defined, he looked like he just worked with his body.
Karim didn’t have Julien’s statuesque beauty, but he was still dangerously nice to look at. Rougher and masculine, the kind of man that if he were in the thumbnail of a certain sort of video, Luis would’ve clicked on it.
He caught Luis looking, and smirked. “You coming?”
“Yup,” Luis said, looking away as his face flushed. At least with just the moonlight above, no one could see his blush.
Karim started down toward the water, and Luis rushed to pull off his shirt and follow.
“Have fun,” Julien said as he cracked his book to read. Luis paused a second to take him in. Julien had worn a white sheer robe coverup tied at the waist, and it now draped elegantly around him in the chair like he’d been professionally posed.
Luis cleared his throat and forced himself to turn away.
The first crash of cold water around his ankles helped clear his head. Luis yelped.
“Don’t be a baby,” Karim said ahead of him.
“Hey, quick question–” Luis said as he stepped further into the water. Fuck, it was still early spring. This would’ve been a better idea for mid-summer. “Are vampires better insulated against cold than humans?”
“Our body temperature is lower than a human’s,” Karim said, “So I guess.”
“So, what you’re saying is that this doesn’t feel as cold for you as it is for me,” Luis said.
Karim turned, catching on. He looked amused, and something light and fluttery rippled through Luis’s belly.
“It’s not that cold,” Karim said with a grin.
“I didn’t consider how much colder it’d be at night,” Luis rubbed his arms. He had goosebumps all over. “Burr.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Karim said and kept walking into the surf.
“Says the vampire,” Luis shot back.
The ocean was gentle, which was the one good thing as Luis shivered his way deeper. The waves were small rolling hills that only broke at the shoreline. The water was wine dark, and glimmering in the moonlight. It really was beautiful.
When they were chest deep, Karim stopped.
Luis couldn’t stop shivering. He’d never been night swimming in the Gulf, and now he understood why–it was fucking cold.
Luis turned to look back at shore longingly. He could see the paleness of Julien’s robe glowing even from this distance.
“You’re still shivering?” Karim said behind him. He’d waded closer when Luis wasn’t looking, and Luis jumped.
“Yes, idiot, it’s cold!” Luis hissed, splashing Karim for good measure.
The vampire grabbed his hand as he did so, and laced their fingers together. The palm of his hand was surprisingly warm.
“How’re you so warm if you’re cooler than humans?”
Karim shrugged. “You’re colder right now. And vampires have less temperature variance. Takes a lot more external force to change our body temp.”
Luis huffed, but didn’t try to get his hand back. That one point of warmth was nice.
Out here, Karim blended in with the dark water. Where Julien glowed, Karim was all shadows. At least until the moonlight caught his eyes or he smiled.
They bobbed in the gentle waves, and it took a moment before he realized Karim was pulling him in closer.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so… grumpy this week,” Luis said.
“You had good reason,” Karim said.
“Sure, but you two have still just been… so great.” Luis looked away, toward the vast horizon. “I just feel bad I’ve been sulking in my own shit.”
Karim shrugged. “I’m an asshole most of the time. Doesn’t bother me.”
Luis snorted. “No, you’re not. You’re only an asshole some of the time.”
Now Karim was grinning at him. “Oh yeah? Only some?”
Karim tugged him in a little more. Luis had to tilt his head to keep eye contact.
“Yeah,” Luis said, and he couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice. His heart was thumping in his chest.
“Listen, I’ll tell you a secret,” Karim’s other arm found Luis’s waist under the water.
It settled there tentatively, and Luis did his best not to react.
“What you’re going through is hard, but it’s going to get better.
You’re purging the poison and that’s… the worst part.
But afterward, when all that shit isn’t inside you anymore, you’ll feel better.
A lot better. And if you’re an asshole some of the time during the process, that’s okay too. ”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Luis asked, lips quirking.
Karim squeezed his waist. “Yeah, because even if you’re an asshole, we’re still your friends. Cassie would say the same. I know Julien looks like a romance novel wilting flower, but he’s not. Neither of us are going to be scared off by some moodiness.”
A wave jostled them, and Luis reached up automatically with his free hand to steady himself on Karim’s broad shoulder.
“Oh, sorry.”
“Don’t be. You can hold on to me if you need to,” Karim said with a softer smile.
Luis swallowed with a dry throat. His eyes drifted over where he was touching Karim’s warm skin. He had strong shoulders.
Then he was following the line of his neck up to his face. To his mouth.
They were so close now. It wouldn’t take anything to close the distance. To kiss him.
Want rose sharp and steep inside Luis. He knew he shouldn’t, but the reasons exactly why felt far away, left behind on shore. Between them was a pocket of warmth, and Karim’s sure, steady gaze on him.
And suddenly Luis was leaning forward and–
Karim leaned away.
Fuck, oh fuck. This–this was a mistake. Shit, Luis was so stupid–
“Wait, wait,” Karim said, arm tightening on Luis to hold him when he went to pull away. “Just–hold on, don’t go anywhere. Just, are you sure about this?”
Luis stared at him, eyes wide, horrified at himself. “What?”
“I can’t kiss you unless you’re sure. I promised. I–have you thought about this? I can’t do this if it’s a whim or you’re caught in the moment,” Karim looked pained.
“A whim?” Luis’s head was spinning. “You promised who?”
“Jules,” Karim said it like the answer was obvious. “I’m not to touch you until you’re sure,” Karim insisted.