The Call of Darkness

I woke up to complete silence the next morning. I tried my hardest to hold on to sleep, mainly to keep my mind from being bombarded by ridiculous thoughts. Henry? A vampire?! That's ridiculous!

Heaving a deep sigh, I got out of bed and padded down a sunlit hallway until I entered what I assumed to be the great room of the apartment. I have to say, it was quite impressive; the kind of apartment that only old New York money can buy. Scanning the room, I noticed the Picassos and Monets hanging on the walls and the large, overstuffed couches and chairs scattered throughout the rooom. Turning to my left and walking through a large paneled door, my eyes settled on Henry's broad back as he was bent over his desk. The thoughts of Henry's vampiric nature were immediately put to rest when I noticed the sunlight glinting off his golden hair. There was no way he could be a vampire, the sunlight would burn him, right?

Before I could knock, he turned around in his chair and fixed his soft gray eyes on me.

"Good morning, Jacob. How are you feeling?" I had to smile at his formality, considering he had seen me at my worst a few hours ago.

"I'm fine, thanks. I just wanted to thank you for taking me in last night. You didn't have to do that."

"It was my pleasure," he said, flashing a bright smile.

Tearing my eyes away from his perfect face, I looked out the window at the stunning view of Central Park, "Well, I better go. I'll see you around, I guess."

His face fell and his grey eyes turned darker, "No. No, stay. Please," he said urgently.

"Um, I don't want to put you out or anything," I replied, confused by his swift change of mood and his intense reaction to my leaving.

"You're no trouble at all, I promise. It's nice having someone around," he said wistfully.

I chuckled, "You hardly even know me, Henry."

"I know you well enough," he replied matter-of-factly.

What the hell did that mean?

"Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?" Henry asked.

"Actually, I am pretty hungry. I'll help you though," I offered.

"Okay," he said warmly, leading into the massive kitchen. Is there anything in this house that isn't massive? I thought.

I decided on a basic breakfast of eggs and toast and I took over making the eggs. It's one of the few things I can cook.

"I dont't understand how you eat those things," Henry said from behind me, his cold breath raising goosebumps on my neck.

"I love them," I countered, turning around and smacking right into him.

"Woah, there," he chuckled, catching me in his arms as I lost my balance.

My face was eye level with his chest, trying to keep my eyes down to hide my embarassment. I had to look up significantly to see his face, my breath catching when I looked at him.

His gray eyes were blazing with intensity as he studied my face carefully, smirking as he saw the blood rush to my cheeks. My eyes settled on his perfectly formed mouth, his full lips practically begging for me to kiss them. He bent toward me infintesimally and I quickly came to my senses, extricating myself from his arms.

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving," I said brightly.

"Oh, I'm definitely hungry," Henry stated, eyeing me intently.

I blushed and began eating.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, Henry, this has been great but I really need to go home now," I said, noticing the darkening sky from the windows.

"I can't persuade you to stay longer?" he asked

"I'm sorry, but I need to go," I told him.

He sighed, rising to his feet and pulling me along with him. We had been pretty lazy all day, just sitting on the couch talking. I had never met anyone who listened as well as he did and who actually seemed to care about me, "At least let my driver take you home," he offered.

He has a driver? Damn.

"Um, ok. Alright," I nodded, still wary of walking the streets alone.

He pulled his phone out of his hip pocket, his long fingers moving swiftly over the touch screen keypad. "Max? Yeah, we're on our way down. Thanks," he said, hanging up.

He reluctantly ushered me out the door, shouldering my backpack and keeping his large hand on the small of my back. Even through my sweater, I could feel the coldness on my skin.

The elevator ride to the lobby was one of the strangest experiences of my life. As soon as the doors closed, I could feel an imaginary electric current running between us. I suddenly had an uncontrollable urge to touch his perfect face and kiss him. Balling my fists, I crossed my arms and shoved them in my armpits, desperate to keep myself in check. I peered up at him to find him watching me intently, his gray eyes blazing once again. I noticed that his posture was similar to mine, his fists clenched and his jaw tight.

I almost fell to my knees in releif when the doors opened, but Henry quickly led me through the lobby and to the Mercedes SUV idling at the curb.

"When will I see you again?" he asked me.

"I'm not sure. I'll call you, I guess," I said, programming my number into his phone.

"I've already put mine in yours," he said, smiling.

"Thanks, dad," I grumbled.

He chuckled and lightly ran his hand through my hair, sending a shock through me. Blushing brightly, I climbed into the car.

"Buckle your seatbelt," Henry said authoritatively.

"Yes, master," I said impatiently, complying.

He leaned against the doorfame, his bulk blocking out the sidewalk behind him, his eyes searching mine, "I'll call you."

"Please do. I had a lot of fun today," I said, smiling up at him.

He hesitantly lifted his hand and reached out to cup my face in his hand, his thumb brushing across my cheek. All too soon, he drew his hand away, shoving it into his popcket, his eyes burning once again.

"Goodbye, Jacob," he said sadly.

"Bye," I replied in confusion, giving him one last smile.

After I gave my address to the driver, I settled into the warm leather seat and stared out the window. Even thought I had only spent one day with Henry, I missed him already. And, despite my attempts to push them away, the vampire thoughts seeped back into my consiousness. I mean, he displayed all the signs: pale skin, cold body temperature, doesn't eat or drink, and has the ability to sneak up on people without making a sound.

I finally decided to just let it be for a while until I saw him again. Then, if I can muster up the courage, I would present my suspicions to him. But I knew it wouldn't be that easy. Nothing in my life ever is. Or was.

When I reached my run-down appartment, I shucked my bag and collapsed on my bed. I truly hated this place. It was just a reminder of how my life was shit and how worthless I was. Then a deluge of memories came flooding back: the beatings, the lonliness, the sadness.....

I closed my eyes and let the misery take me, feeling the tears run down my cheeks. Somewhere in the middle of my crying spell, I dozed off. And I knew immediately whose face would be present in my dreams.

To be continued....