Lulu & Lestat (Part Two)
I...get to see him again tomorrow?
The thought kept repeating itself in my head over and over as I lay quietly in my bed. But would he actually come back to see me? Why would he? Is it because he liked the way I drew him? It couldn't possibly be because he likes me. I look like a dumpy little dinosaur in boots and he's....perfect. It's not something in the stars for me. Can't be. I let myself curl into a comfortable position and let my mind drift away with sleep for the night, hoping my dreams would soothe my anxiety.
The next morning, I took care with my morning ritual to tame my hair and apply just enough makeup to enhance the colors that sparkled in my eyes. I couldn't stop myself from wearing another short black dress because, let's face it, that's my wardrobe. I slipped on a pair of thick dark purple leggings underneath and pulled my boots over my feet to ready myself for the day. I made several faces at my reflection in the mirror until I was at least somewhat pleased with my appearance. Then I began to just...pace. I didn't have any idea what time Lestat would show up today...if he decided to show up at all, not to mention my afternoon would be taken up by work for a few hours to help cover a shift. I saw little corners of my apartment that needed to be tidied or dusted. My mind still ran rampant with the anxiety of having someone like Lestat step inside my home. I decided it would be best for my sanity and heart to take a moment to let myself relax before heading out to work. I felt like the perfect way to do so at the time was to read a little bit and take my book of choice to work with me. I approached one of my small bookshelves and searched for something that was right for the moment. I let my fingers trace the worn spines of the books that lined the shelves, reading aloud the titles with each pass. My fingers halted when they found a very dilapidated spine.
It was an old paperback novel with the spine worn down so much over time that the letters that it once graced were lost to the world. I pulled it out to get a glance at the cover and see what the book could be. Big bold white letters were splashed upon the cover that read 'Interview With the Vampire'. I froze as I read the title. I had the book for a very long time after snagging it from a second hand bookstore for a few dollars. I had read it in my early high school years and read several of the other books in the series afterwards. How could I have forgotten about this book? I remembered the first book chronicling the life of a vampire named Louis, his story about his maker and vampire daughter. His maker's name was....Oh shit....his maker's name was Lestat.
How could I have let this slip by me? How could I be that damn daft? But the two young men I met yesterday couldn't possibly be the vampires from the books. The books are just fiction, right? Maybe they're just really good cosplayers. I mean, there is a new movie coming out soon, so that would bring a resurgence of fans...right? I flipped open the book and skimmed through the pages to find long paragraphs with intricately placed descriptions that perfectly fit the two men that greeted me in the small cafe the day before. It was too eerily similar. This sent my mind spiraling. What if they are the same? Does that mean that Lestat would come at night? What would his reaction be if he found out that I know who he is? How can I go to work with all this excitement?! I decided to take the little paperback copy to work with me to help pass the time.
Working at a gas station has its' advantages. Like not having to actually look up at customers, well, what few customers I get in anyways. Most people use their cards to pay for their gas outside and very few people come in to get anything other than overpriced cigarettes and beer. Which left me leaning against the wall behind the counter, silently reading the book, always taking my time when I came to a piece of dialogue from Lestat or a paragraph in which Louis describes Lestat. And luckily the short shift ended soon with the replacement coworker taking my place.
The sun had been down for only a moment before I made my way back home, clutching the small book by side. I wondered if Lestat, if he was human, had come by my apartment during the day and was sad to see that I wasn't home. Maybe it would be for the better, I thought. He would go running for the hills once he found out how weird I was. I looked up at the darkened sky to see few precious stars shining down already and grey clouds creeping from the horizon, it would be a werewolf moon at night. My steps were slow and echoed slightly down the street that I walked. It was a short walk back to my apartment and I was heading up the stairs before I knew it.
Once I reached the top of the stairs, my breath caught in my throat when I saw Lestat leaning against the wall next to the door of my apartment. He was smiling at me already, and I felt the heat rise in my face once more. I started stuttering nervously, half wanting to say hello, the other half wanting to apologize for not being home at the same time. He laughed and eased off the wall a bit.
"I was about to give up and go home when I saw you coming down the street. And I suppose you had given up on me coming to see you again?", he questioned, almost teasingly.
"I had to leave to go to work...besides, you didn't exactly tell me when you'd stop by", I said.
He nodded in understanding and began to approach me before spotting the item I held in my hand. Something flickered across his features when he saw the small book I was clutching. I nervously held the book out. "Do you know about this book? There's a character in it that..."
"That is named Lestat? And that I wholly fit the description of?", he questioned then, no readable emotion in his face. I could only nod and wait for him to fill in the blanks. After a moment of staring into his dead pan face, he let loose a hearty laugh. He brought his hand up to cover his mouth and he backed up against the wall once again. He laughed so hard I could faintly see a tear welling up in his eyes.
"To think that book would come back to me again, after all this time."he said finally, wiping his eye. "But yes, mon chere, I know that book too well."
"So you're a big fan of it too?", I questioned nervously, not exactly knowing where to steer the conversation at this point. Out right questioning his species didn't seem polite all of a sudden. He shot me a sly grin as he began to approach me once more. I felt my breathing grow heavier as he began to pace around me, circling me slowly like a wolf about to pounce.
"Darling child, I am the creature that lurks in those pages. I found that mess of pages decades ago spread out in little stores. Louis had sold his story to a starving author for her to work it into a thing of fantasy."
He began to come back around my other side, his blue sapphire eyes bright with mischief as they glared into my own. "I am Lestat de Lioncourt the Vampire, Brat Prince", he said proudly as he took his place directly in front of me, smiling large enough to clearly see his fangs.
"So...why are you here?", I finally muttered after not knowing what to do or what to say. The world suddenly makes allot less sense once you're face to face with a fictional character. His smile faded a little with my question.
"Don't tell me that you're frightened of me?", he asked, his hand reaching out to touch my face. I couldn't stop myself from flinching when his skin came into contact with me. Ever since I was a child I couldn't trust anyone's touch...not even that of my own family. My eyes were closed tightly as I felt Lestat's other hand warmly cup my face, tilting up to face his own face.
"Just open your eyes, Lulu".
His words were just a whisper but I slowly let my eyes creep open to see him looking down at me almost lovingly, smiling warmly and a thumb caressed over my cheek softly.
He began to lean in, as if to either kiss me or swallow me whole, but before I could find out which of the two he was going to attempt the moment was interrupted by a cell phone ringing. Lestat pulled away quickly and fumbled with his pocket to retrieve the ringing phone.
"Ahh Louis darling!", he greeted warmly. "You sleep too much, love!"
I wanted to giggle at watching a centuries old vampire using a new smart phone to talk to another centuries old vampire but instead I walked over to my apartment door to unlock the latch and go inside. I left the door open for Lestat whenever he was done with his call if he wanted to come in...though I felt a pang of embarrassment at the state I left my apartment in for him to enter, but I needed a drink and to sit down. I strolled over to my fridge and gulped down a glass of water then walked back to my dark living room and peeked outside my door to still see Lestat talking on the phone.
"How dare you! I would never! Not anymore, anyways. You know this", Lestat hollered.
I let myself plop down on my soft couch and leaned back against the warm cotton material. I let myself stare at Lestat, feeling safer doing so now that his gaze wasn't focused on me. His long blond hair came down in waves and his dark clothes seemed both incredibly soft and expensive. My mind began to slowly wander and daydream. It began painting scenes of what could happen...if I were lucky. I imagined still standing outside my apartment, Lestat trapping me against the wall, his lips crashing against mine. I shivered as I imagined those lips moving from my lips to my throat. I wondered how gentle or how fierce he would be.
I was snapped away from my thoughts when I realized that things had grown silent. Lestat stood in my doorway, phone still held to his ear. But his eyes were locked onto mine and a grin was spread across his face.
"I'll have to call you back later, Louis. Something's come up. Ciao" I felt my blood run cold as I watched Lestat end the call and slowly stroll into my home. The grin on his face was pure mischief.
"You should be careful with thoughts like that around me, Lulu. I pick up on things very easily", he purred. Before I could realize what was happening, Lestat had me pinned on my own couch, his tall figure leaning over me, his arms trapping me on each side. My face felt very hot to be this close to him and to have known that he saw my thoughts.
"Now, since you've recoiled from me several times before, I'll ask you nicely cherie. May I kiss you?", he asked softly, his blue eyes looking at me almost thoughtfully.
I've never said yes to a question so quickly in my life.
His lips crashing against mine set my body on fire. My eyes closed and I let myself melt into the kiss. The kiss was soft to begin, as though he were testing the waters before easing into something more passionate and almost dominant. I could feel his fangs in the kiss a few times, as though he was purposefully teasing me with them against my lower lip. He pulled away from me far too soon to allow me to catch my breath. I breathed heavily and let my forehead rest against his and I laughed softly and almost nervously asked-
"So, is this the part where you bite me and take my blood?"
He seemed to ponder the question for a moment before chuckling deeply and placing a small kiss upon my lips before answering
"Only if that's what you want, Lulu".