“You’re not a loser, Anora. Not back then and not now.”
“I don’t think I’m a loser now, but thanks for the reassurance.” I grab a slice of pizza. “I felt stupid and just wanted to leave. And then I ran into this hot guy named Ethan.”
“What?”
“He was walking down the sidewalk too. I thought he was a vampire, so I let him take me to a cafe to see if he’d eat food.”
“You thought he was a vampire and you went somewhere with him?” she echoes. “Was he a vampire?”
“No, he’s human but…”
“But what?”
“Something felt…different about him. I can’t explain it.” I take a bite of pizza. “I randomly ran into him today though, and he asked for my number.”
“Shut up!”
“We’ll see if he calls.”
Laney shakes her head. “I still can’t believe you thought that guy was a vampire and you went somewhere with him. He could have killed you.”
“People kill people too,” I remind her. “And as far as we know, humans have killed a lot more people than vampires have. Though they could be better at hiding the bodies,” I add with a shrug.
“I kind of want to be a vampire,” Laney admits.
“Really? I’d miss pizza. Though according to my mother, a cure might be found in the near future.” I can’t roll my eyes hard enough. “I don’t understand how she can be so smart and be such a good doctor and think vampires are the result of some sort of rare medical condition.”
“It’s easier to comprehend,” Laney says. “Though I’ll say it again, I’ll gladly catch whatever they’ve got. Have you seen the new Vampire Council rep for New York? It’s a good thing they can’t procreate because I’d get pregnant looking at him.”
I laugh, but my mind flits back to Ethan and his deep brown eyes.
“He is very mysterious, though I expected most VC reps to be old, like really old,” I admit.
“Me too, like that one vampire that’s rumored to live in the Midwest and is over a thousand years old. Can you even imagine being alive for that long? Sorry, undead for that long, I mean.”
“It would be so weird to see the world change over the years.”
My phone buzzes with a text from Harrison. “How much you want to bet he meant to text Anne again?”
“Did he sext you again?”
“Ew, thankfully no, but I am terrified I might get a photo I’ll never be able to unsee. Next time we go to our parents’ for dinner, I’m changing my name in his phone.”
“Hah, good idea.”
I wipe my hands and unlock my phone. “Okay, that’s weird.”
“It’s not a dick pic then?”
“Gross, no. He’s asking when I’m free to have dinner this week.”
“How is that weird?” Laney asks.
“Because he wants me to meet a girl he’s dating.”
Laney almost drops her pizza. “He has a girlfriend?”
“Not that I knew of,” I say as I text Harrison back, saying I’m free Thursday night. “I don’t want to make assumptions…”
“…but you’re totally thinking one of his one-night stands got knocked up.”
“Yeah,” I admit. I love my brother and don’t judge him for living the playboy lifestyle. It makes him happy and doesn’t hurt anyone. That’s all that matters, right? Shaking my head, I put the phone down. “Whatever. I’ll find out soon enough.”
We complain about work the rest of dinner, and I walk Laney to her car an hour later. I do a half-assed job picking up around the house, and then shower and get ready for bed. I turn on a movie and cuddle under the covers with Hunter by my side and Romeo curled up on my chest. I’m still exhausted from the eventful weekend, and fall asleep quickly, slipping right back into that familiar dream.
I’m back in the woods, and brilliant blue light glows before me. The door that appeared between two trees swings open, and I look inside the courtyard.
“Come along, Anora,” a woman says, black cloak billowing around her feet. I take her hand and step through the door. I inhale, breathing in the comforting smell of sage and lavender. Firelight flickers ahead of us, and I eagerly look through the large, open doors of the brick building we’re heading toward.
It’s familiar, and somehow, I know I’ve been here before. I try to pull my hand out of the woman’s, but she gives my fingers a squeeze and looks down at me. Her face is blurry, but red hair sticks out from under the hood of her cloak.
“Good evening, Professor,” someone says when we enter the brick building. The woman who’s holding my hand leads me down a hall, her boots clicking on the cobblestone floor. We pass by more people, who are dressed similarly to the woman holding my hand. A few kids run by, wearing what looks like school uniforms.
We stop in front of a closed door, and the woman knocks three times before waving her hand over the door, whispering something in another language. The door swings open, and the scent of lavender hits me harder. A snowy white fox is curled up on a velvet bed near a fireplace, and woman who has to be in her thirties looks up from her desk. She’s wearing a black dress with a silvery robe overtop. She’s gorgeous, and she smiles warmly at me.