Chemistry, Pt. II

Nate and I have been unofficially a thing for about six months now. He has gotten a lot weirder though; distant, cold. He always seems to only come out at night, which I don't entirely mind on account of the majority of my shifts being from 11 PM to 2 AM.

I've been in New York for half a year now and the only real friend that I have is Nate. I'm worried that he might end things or be seeing someone on the side. My mind reels with endless possibilities.

I usually feel really awkward when Nate watches me dance; he's seen me at the club twice now. I function weird around people I know watching me perform, I care more about what they think so it makes me nervous. However, with our recently relationship distance, I think it will do wonders for us; stoke some jealousy at the very least and after, we can visit a paradise room! "Great idea Elliot!" I don't know what I was thinking...

The next night, about three hours before my shift, I called Nate asking him to come to the club. He seemed apprehensive; as he knows me well enough to know about my nerves, but I lie and tell him that him visiting won't affect my performance. Plus due to my financial crisis, I need to visit a paradise room after, and it might be good for us. He agrees but I get even more nervous, he seemed drained or something on the phone.

Later for my shift, I smoke some weed in the back and spritz some cologne to mask the scent. As I'm dancing (to one of my favorite songs I may add) I make eye contact with him, and I see that he looks like shit. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

After my dance, I try and find him, but he is nowhere to be found. I decide to go to the bathroom to find him, only to find a shocking surprise. He has one of the customers pinned against the wall?!? What the ACTUAL fuck!?

"So my dancing isn't good enough? You could have just said so," I said sarcastically attempting to mask my heartbrokenness.

Just then, he looks at me with blood dripping from his face and the customer has giant teeth marks in his neck. My eyes widened and my expression turned from anger/shock to absolute confusion, then the next thing that I know, I blackout.

I awaken in his apartment, a place that I've never been before.

Nate: "What do you remember?"

Elliot: "After my dance we went to a paradise room and then you took me to your apartment, right?"

Nate: "Maybe it's best if I just show you..." [He touches my head]

I start to remember the bathroom, him feeding on a guy with red hair and then him telling me to come with him.

He then opens the fridge and there are bins full with blood bags (most of which are A- which I happen to be).

Elliot: "I... is this a joke?"

Nate: "No. We often crave the blood type that we first fed on. Which is why it's so hard for me to be around you."

As he spoke, I started to remember witnessing him feeding in the bathroom.

Nate: "When you were dancing, your pulse was approximately 180bpm and I haven't had blood that wasn't from a blood bag in about five years or so. This guy was super drunk and told his buddies he was going to go to a paradise room with you after his bathroom break. I got jealous, and went to compel him to back off. But he was drunk and I was so hungr—"

[He paused for a moment and then I gulped]

I realized that I had cut my knee about four hours ago during my shift (a customer accidentally broke a bottle on the stage) just then his fangs popped out and the veins around his eyes started to enlarge.

Nate: "I suggest you start running..."

I take his advice and immediately start running; I'd like to note, I do not usually run, but I ran as fast as I could. As I was running, I started thinking to myself that it didn't really make any sense why I started running because according to vampire lore, vampires had super speed; and since he already compelled me, I didn't want to run the risk.

I finally make it back to my apartment and lock the door and immediately start to think, "I don't even know why I fucking bother." He knows where I live, he has super strength and has already been invited in, he most definetley could just bust down the door if he wanted to; but for some reason I feel like a part of me wants him to. In a weird way, I regret running. We have been together for six months and he hasn't tried to attack me or bite me or anything. If he were to, he would have already, right?

Days pass and I don't hear from him whatsoever, not a text, nor call; nothing. I start to actually miss him, despite the events of last week. I contemplate the different scenarios of us working out; potentially letting him drink from me that way he learns control. My mind keeps thinking about different ways that I can help him instead of letting him go from my life. I just keep missing him more and more and more despite knowing that I should be afraid. But should I? Like I stated before, if he wanted to he would have easily been able to feed from me before; he chose not to.

I decide to give him a call; I fucking hate doing that. I never call/text first, it's a sign of weakness. That's one thing I love about our relationship, he always is the one to initiate things. He knows my favorite color, food, and everything in between. I've never had anyone, let alone one guy want to know all of that about me before. I remember the first time we bumped into each other, when he wrote his phone number on that napkin and how my shoulder my shoulder just vibrated; I never wanted that feeling to go away.

Come on... pick up... pick up...

[Voicemail] "Hey it's Nate, you know what to do!"

"Hey Nate, it's me, I know that we had a little bit of a rough patch last time that we were together but I just wanted to say that I miss you and please just... call me back."

Right after I end the phone call, I hear knocking on the door. I go up to open it and there are three people standing; one a tall handsome man with blonde hair, one a skinny shorter woman who has what appears to be a permanent scowl, and the other is an average height man donning fire like hair and what appears to be bite marks on his neck. It took a minute or two but then I realized, I recognize him from the club; he's the same customer that Nate fed on!

Agent 1: "Hello, are you Elliot Smith?"

Elliot: "Yes..how can I help you officers?"

Agent 2: "We're not quite officers, we deal with specialized circumstances."

Customer: "I remember you dancing and then someone attacked me."

Elliot: "Yes I dance, you've been at the club most nights with your friends from work, if memory serves."

Agent 1: "Yes, however it appears that during your last shift, he was attacked and security cameras show you leaving with a man shorter than you, brown hair. Does that description ring any bells?"

Elliot: "I... I'm not entirely sure. To be honest, my memory is a little blurred; I meet/see so many people in the club and it's dark so, really you're describing like a million people in Manhattan."

Agent 2: "Bullshit. You left with him."

Elliot: "I don't appreciate your tone for one, and second of all I'm a dancer do you know how many guys that I have had in a paradise room? I can't even count. Not to mention that I've had guys try and follow me home before."

Agent 1: "Well if you remember anything, please don't hesitate to give us a call." [He offers out his business card]

Elliot: *Takes the card* “Thank you, and of course. As for you sir, I am so sorry that you got attacked, I'd like to offer you a dance in a paradise room next time. My next shift is tomorrow."

Customer: "Thanks I guess. My name is James by the way.”

The customer and the agents leave. I lean on the door trying to keep myself together, trying not to burst into tears. I put the card down on the table and want to phone Nate again but I know that they would most likely be looking at my text and call records and I would rather die than expose him. Just then, another knock. I open the door and low and behold, it's Nate.

Nate: [Donning flowers] "Hey, my head has been spinning and I've been thinking of different ways to apologize and to make things right. You remember the first night we met?"

I grab him and pull him in and just hug him and start crying.

Elliot: "There were two agents and the customer that you attacked who came to my door. They were here about like five-ten minutes ago or so."

Nate: "I know... I went to go to your room, but then I saw them and doubled back."

Elliot: "I didn't tell them anything, I covered and now I owe that asshole a dance in a paradise room."

Nate: "Thank you. I appreciate it but I think I have to lay low for a while, they could catch up and if they do... it's not just me."

Elliot: "Just stay here."

Nate: "What? And replace basically all of your regular food with blood bags? Not only that but if they decide to search your apartment, how will you explain the blood bags?"

Elliot: "I'll say that I'm a pre-med student and they have us keep the excess blood bags at home that way the hospital can use us for storage as well as profit!"

Nate: "Can you say that again, but more cunning and cute like?"

Elliot: "Nahhh."

He kisses me and we start making out. He picks me up and pins me up against the wall, my legs wrapped around him like a pole; a familiar position for me. He starts to kiss my neck and then I feel an impale, I let out a moan and he carries me to the bedroom.

It feels like we're intertwined for an eternity, every kiss on my body feels like it's on fire; my neck bleeding onto the bed, but I don't even care. Everything feels like heaven.

That whole night, felt like a night that I wanted to relive dowm to every detail and I wouldn't want to change a single minute of it.

<THIS WAS AN ORIGINAL SHORT STORY. I MAY OR MAY NOT ADD MORE/DO A SERIES>