14. Willow
Fourteen
Willow
W illow spent more time on her outfit for tonight than she did when they were going to the club. She went with black skinny jeans, knee-high leather boots, and a leopard print V-neck. She wore minimalist gold jewelry and kept her hair in a braid down her back to prevent it from tangling in the wind. She was originally going to rock her Fran Fine outfit with a black mini skirt and fishnet stockings, but remembered the awkwardness of getting on the bike in her tight dress.
She stood outside her apartment complex, listening as the sound of the motorcycle engine drew closer in the night. She bounced on her feet as his headlight illuminated the full parking lot and came up beside her.
“It looks like you’re ready to go,” he said as he leaned his bike against the kickstand.
“I’ve been waiting all week for another ride, yeah I’m definitely ready to go.”
She placed her hand on his shoulder and hopped onto the back, wrapping her arms around his waist. It was strange to her how naturally she fit against him.
She watched as Vista Maria sped past them, surprisingly large numbers of people still outside for almost nine p.m., wandering the street on their way home from dinner or work. That was the thing about Vista Maria, it never shut down no matter the time or day. It slowed down around midnight, but even then people were still out working or drinking at the numerous bars that lined the streets. It made her feel comfortable to be a part of a town that was so alive.
Just like last time, he proved himself to be a good driver. She didn’t release her hold on him, though. Every time they would pull up to a red light, he would absentmindedly touch her knee, which sent an electric current through her body. She didn’t want that feeling to stop, and was disappointed to find them pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant way too soon.
“Don’t look so sad, we’ll go for a longer ride after dinner.” He helped her off the bike and they made their way into the restaurant. She noticed his hand twitch toward hers like he was going to hold it, but thought better of it at the last minute.
As soon as they sat at their table, Gage groaned as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at it, but whoever was calling was sent to his voicemail.
“Is it work related?” She asked.
“Probably, it was my dad. I don’t have a set schedule, so he calls me whenever to assign me things.”
“It sounds like we both don’t have a great work-life balance. Do you at least like working with your dad?”
“Kind of. I see him a lot, maybe a little bit too much, and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one he talks to. If he’s not calling me about a project, then he’s calling to tell me about some stupid sale that’s going on at the hardware store. I really need to get that man a girlfriend, he’s lonely and needs someone to talk to who’s not me.”
She nodded. “I noticed your dad didn’t have a wedding ring on. Where’s your mom?”
He looked at her, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “What were you looking at his hand for? Are you interested? I can totally hook you two up.”
“I’ll pass. He’s a little too old for me, don’t you think?”
“No, you seem like the type to have a sugar daddy.”
She was about to make a smart remark when she noticed the waitress who approached them. She flashed them a smile that caused Willow to do a double take. She swore it looked like the girl had fangs.
“Hi Gage, what can I get you two tonight?”
He looked at Willow and raised an eyebrow. “Are you a margarita or a beer girl?”
“Margarita, strawberry to be exact.” Once the waitress left with their order, Willow turned her suspicious glare to him. “How does she know you?”
“My dad owns half the city, we’re pretty well-known around here.”
She thought about how Clay seemed to have so many connections, so much money, and so many enemies. Something clicked and Willow gasped.
“Oh my god, it all makes sense now. Why customers told me to stay away, why you have random beef with a dude from Miami, and why Matteo and Horatio referred to Vista Maria as their territory . You’re not just a rich family, you’re a mafia family.”
Gage choked on his water. “Not quite. People hate us because of what we are. I think that’s why my dad took such a liking to you—you came in with no expectations of us and treated us like any other person.”
“I pride myself on being open-minded. It helps that you guys seem pretty down to earth, too. You don’t live up to that stereotype of being evil, power-hungry villains that want to hoard money while other people suffer.”
Gage nodded and played with an ice cube in his water. “Yeah, that’s actually a rule my dad set, if a vampire wants to live in Vista Maria, then they have to contribute to the community in some way. Most help at homeless shelters, but some have started community gardens, donated to the library, or started local businesses like you.”
Willow watched as he toyed with the ice cube, the frozen square bobbing up and down in the water. The condensation ran down the glass in almost slow motion as she processed his words. He seemed unaware of her shock, or that her mind was frozen on the word he’d just said. He looked up at her finally, his green eyes wide and curious.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m sorry, but did you say if a vampire wants to live here?”
“Yes, we’re not the only ones around here. There’s quite a few, a lot of whom make up your customer base. I thought you knew? My dad told me you got the idea for a midnight coffee house because your ex worked the night shift. Was he not a vampire, too?”
Her voice came out in a shaky whisper. “No.”
Sudden realization drifted across his face. “Oh, you’re one of those that didn’t know.” He nodded his head slowly. “That makes sense, there are a lot fewer families in the Midwest than other places, but still, you traveled around a lot. You never knew about vampires or met any?”
“What are you talking about? No!” She shook her head violently, trying to clear the mixed emotions that were tumbling around. “No! What the hell do you mean? Of course I’ve never met a vampire, they’re not real!”
“Last time I checked, I was pretty sure I was real.” He lifted his lip to reveal a canine tooth that was more pointed than normal. Without even a wince, he pierced the tip of his finger and a needle point of blood bubbled up.
He dropped his lip and a sly grin formed. “Do you wanna try?”
“This isn’t a joke, my whole world is turning upside down right now and you’re asking me to poke your tooth?”
He shrugged, the grin not budging. “You could poke something else on me if you want.”
“You better be glad that waitress didn’t bring our drinks yet or else I would throw it in your face. Vampires are fairytales, made up in medieval times to explain why some decomposing bodies made noises or would sit up. They didn’t know about gas or rigor mortis.”
“Is that what they taught you in school?”
“If you’re a vampire, then prove it.”
“I thought I just did?”
She leaned across the table, anger taking over and making her bold. “Turn into a bat.”
He barked a laugh. “We don’t do that. Oh man, you really don’t know anything about us, do you? Okay, let’s restart. Hi, I’m Gage and I’ll be your tour guide today as we go through Vampire Basics 101.”
“Enough with the sarcasm.”
“I’m sorry, I’m so amused though. I’ve never heard of someone accidentally going on a date with a vampire before. We’ve been coming into your shop for weeks now and nothing clued you in? You never noticed our fangs or the fact you only see us at night? Why did you think some people hated us?”
“Because you’re rich! Everybody hates the rich.”
The waitress arrived with their drinks and Willow put on her default customer service smile to place her order. Even though she didn’t seem to understand anything anymore, she did know one thing: she was starving. And the least he could do after disrupting her whole life was buy her an enchilada.
The tone between them changed after the waitress left and reality settled over her. She was slowly coming to terms with the fact that there were real vampires out there, and she was sitting across the table from one. If he had wanted to hurt her, he’d had ample opportunities to do that already. Yet, he’d chosen to protect her. He’d worried for her safety at the music festival, rescued her from the rapist at the club, and even came back to check on her after Waldo. Didn’t she say earlier that she was open-minded?
Her curiosity began to bubble to the surface and overwrite her anger. Not many people had the chance to sit down and interview a vampire, so she was going to take advantage of this situation. “So, is this like some new disease?”
All humor melted off his face and he looked like he was seriously thinking about that. “I guess it’s kind of like a disease. I’ve never thought about it that way before, because to me it’s always been a way of life. There was no other choice for me but to become one, since both my parents were vampires. It doesn’t spread like an illness and it’s not genetic. You must willingly choose to become one.”
“People chose that?”
“You would be surprised how many people are interested in eternal youth. I don’t say eternal life because we can still die. It’s not like in the movies where the only way to kill one of us is with a stake through the heart. We can die in all sorts of ways. Burning, decapitation, drowning, explosions, etcetera. Speaking of movies, they don’t portray us all that accurately. We can see ourselves in mirrors, we’re not afraid of garlic, and,” he narrowed his eyes at her, “we don’t turn into bats. They do have it right that we can’t go in the sun. We develop solar urticaria, where the sun gives us major migraines and a rash, but it won’t kill us.”
“So you, Horatio, Matteo, Nikolas, and Clay are all vampires. Who else?”
“Sammy recently turned, too. Vampires are sprinkled all around town. Pay attention to your customers better and see if you can find them. Most nurses and medical staff are not vampires, it can be too hard working around all that blood all the time.”
“Next you’re going to tell me zombies and werewolves are real.”
He scoffed. “Now those are fairytales.”
She took a bite of the steaming enchiladas that were placed before her, then peeked at the waitress who came over to deliver their food. Sure enough, those were fangs she saw in her smile. When she left, she decided to continue her interrogation.
“What are these rules you have to follow?”
“There are three main ones that are meant to keep everyone safe: don’t prey on innocent people, don’t add to the crime rate, and contribute to the community. These help keep the peace so humans don’t have any reason to start killing us.”
“Not many people like you guys, do they?”
“It’s about 50/50, some like us and some hate us. The hate usually stems from fear and a lack of understanding.”
“Isn’t that where most hate comes from? That and an insane amount of stubbornness that keeps people close-minded.”
“It’s easier to be close-minded and full of hate than it is to change a belief you’ve held your whole life, particularly if it’s a belief that society supports in media. We’re shown as dangerous monsters that only care about killing humans, not as people who were once human and continue to live lives with the same human emotions and values. For them to understand that, they have to admit they were wrong and look at all the harmful, unjust things they have done in their life. That is painful, and one thing people try to avoid the most is pain, so they stay closed-minded, where it’s nice, safe, and comfortable.”
She looked up at him. “It’s almost sad when you look at it that way. They keep themselves trapped in fear by not allowing themselves to feel pain and then growing from it. ”
“Yeah, but who likes to feel pain?” He whispered, more to himself than her. “Is it my turn to ask questions? I’m as curious about you as you are about me.”
She cleared her throat, his blatant interest in knowing anything about her throwing her off. Not only was she going to have to get used to vampires, she was going to have to get used to a man who cared. “Sure.”
“Why did you move away from Michigan?”
“That’s a pretty deep question to ask.”
“You started the deep questions by asking about my mom.”
“Speaking of which, I noticed that you never answered me.”
Gage shrugged. “I’m going to assume that you moved here to get away from something or someone.”
“You’re right, you caught me. I’m a felon.” She paused, chewing on the side of her cheek, before giving him the true answer. “I did run away from someone. My ex-boyfriend was pretty horrible. I met him after my mom passed away from lung cancer. Well, the cancer didn’t take her—she chose to end her life. The treatments didn’t work, so she ended up committing suicide instead of slowly suffocating to death. She left me a note, rented a motel room, and took a bunch of pills. My mom was a very headstrong person and didn’t want cancer to decide when she would die. That was her choice and I respect it, she was dying either way. But I hate that it happened.
“I stuck around for a little bit after, not really knowing what to do or where to go. I ended up selling the RV we lived in, which was how I met my ex. He worked at the auto lot that bought it. He was super sweet at first and was so supportive as I went through my grief. I fell in love way too quickly and moved in with him after he ended up getting a job in a factory in Detroit. I should have waited longer, then maybe I would have seen the real him. I never would have moved in with him if I knew how abusive and cruel he could be. ”
Gage frowned. “Don’t blame yourself. I know how monsters work and it’s a game to them. They lure you in at your most vulnerable. Has he tried to talk to you since you left?”
She shook her head and pushed a few stray pieces of rice around her plate. She felt lighter after having told him about some of her past, especially since he didn’t seem to pity her or judge her for getting into an abusive relationship. But she wasn’t ready to fully disclose all that happened the night she left.
“If you ever want me to take care of him…” He trailed off, raising an eyebrow.
“Don’t worry, he won’t be following me here. I told you about my mom, now tell me about yours.”
“Besides being workaholics, we also have our mothers in common. My mom committed suicide, too. She wasn’t sick, but not happy with how her life turned out I guess. It hurt like hell when it happened, but I also wasn’t surprised since suicide is pretty common for our kind. Decades of killing people can start to add up.”
The two sat in silence, both now pushing their food around the plates. She looked up at him, with his golden hair falling in his face etched with sadness. “Tell me something good so this doesn’t turn out to be the most depressing date I’ve ever been on.”
His mood shifted to something resembling hope, which was a new side to him she hadn’t seen. She couldn’t help smiling as his face broke into a boyish grin. “Me and Nikolas are finally opening our own custom motorcycle shop. That’s been a goal of mine for a while now.”
“Congrats! We’ll have to celebrate your grand opening.”
He pulled out his phone and showed her the blueprint of his future shop, along with some of the artwork he was going to use in his portfolio. His portraits of dark, emerald forests and cobalt mountains with smoke took her breath away .
“I really liked the unfinished painting in your room. It was a beach scene with the purple hues.”
“You saw that?” A note of panic was in his voice.
“Yeah, it was probably the prettiest one there. It helped that I was in it.” She grinned and stood up from the table, holding out her hand for him. “Are you almost done? I’m ready for another motorcycle ride.”
His hand completely swallowed hers as it wrapped around protectively. “Damn princess, you’re getting a little bit demanding now. I take it that means you’re starting to feel more comfortable around me?”
“You seem pretty okay to me.”
“Okay enough to hang out with again?”
“Yeah, I think tonight was tolerable enough that I could stand to do this again.”
He laughed. “Sammy’s throwing a party to celebrate her turning, so I was going to invite you. And before you even ask, Marla is also invited.”
“That sounds like fun! Where is she having it, though? I don’t know if I’m up for another club.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be at our house.”
They left the restaurant walking side by side. Neither of them dropped their hands until they climbed on his bike.