Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Amber

A s soon as the actual film began, Amber was sucked into the cheesy, stereotypical plot and generic characters. There was something comforting and welcoming in the familiar structure, as overdone as it may appear to some people.

And she kept glancing at her date. Reuben’s profile in the dim glow of the theater felt somehow softer than it did in full sun. He was... Well, gorgeous, if Amber was being honest with herself. How could I be so lucky to have someone like Reuben at my side, even if it’s only pretend? There was an entire room of eligible partners, and he chose me .

A soft and contented smile graced Amber’s lips. She allowed her head to rest on Reuben’s shoulder. She could get used to this…And Reuben didn’t flinch or move away in the slightest. Instead he leaned into Amber’s weight, allowing himself to relax against her warmth.

But Amber couldn’t help repeating the question ad nauseam: was Reuben feeling the way she was, or was he letting the author gather data in her own way? He ?seemed to be enjoying their time together and playing the part of a perfect boyfriend flawlessly.

But did he get butterflies too? Did he get a shiver down his spine when they held hands? Amber chuckled to herself at these intrusive thoughts. This was real life, not a romance novel. This was business, not pleasure. She was being absurd.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy it while it lasted, though. With a cheeky grin, Amber pulled Reuben’s hand over to her lap where she began massaging the cold fingers and palm. She ran her finger along the lines, traced the ridges of his knuckles, massaged the finger pads with her thumb, and generally acquainted herself with every curve and ridge. It was relaxing and soothed her need to fidget.

Reuben’s eyes snapped to Amber’s hands. Not bothering to be subtle, he lifted his hand until both of their arms were in the air. With his free left hand, he flipped back the arm rest that separated the two by a few inches. He then dropped Amber’s hand and swung his arm over her shoulder. His porcelain fingers grazed her hair as he scooted over until their legs touched and his arm rested softly on her shoulders.

There was no resistance to his moves. Amber allowed herself to be tucked against Reuben’s side with hands entwined, her eyes closed and her heart pounding in his ears. She found his slender yet firm, cool fingers wrapped around hers comforting.

Their hands rested in Amber’s lap for a few minutes before an intrusive thought popped into her mind. The movement was slow and her eyes were glued to Reuben as she inched their hands closer to her face, searching for any sign of consent. When he turned and smiled, Amber’s smooth lips gingerly placed a soft kiss on the back of his hand.

She then nuzzled in and rested her cheek on Reuben’s chest, somehow surprised at the lack of heartbeat. You idiot, he’s a vampire. He doesn’t need blood pumped through his body. In this world of fantasy mixed with reality...she’d forgotten that Reuben was supposed to be a threat. She breathed in his vanilla-scented cologne and sighed with pleasure.

* * *

Reuben

B ut Reuben hadn’t forgotten. It took everything in him to stay calm with Amber so close. Not because he was tempted to bite her; in fact, that was nowhere in the violent storm of thoughts which tore through his brain. He really only needed a few ounces of blood twice a day to keep his thirst under control, and he’d downed an extra large bag this morning just in case. Instead, a slurry of guilt, repressed memories, and confusion made everything opaque.

And on top of everything was what he could only describe as a budding forbidden crush. Amber was stuck in an awkward position of being halfway between a coworker and a girlfriend. It was especially awkward when Amber did cute things…Reuben found himself more closely examining the way his date’s hair curled so gently around her ears and how her eyes sparkled when she was excited. They made his chest muscles tighten and the back of his scalp tingle pleasantly.

No, no. None of that. Relationships were nothing but pain, and this was only business. Neither of them could stab each other in the back (literally or figuratively) if Reuben never allowed himself to actually get close to her. His eyes drifted closed as a soft breath escaped his lips. But it feels so good being close to this human…or is it being treated like one that makes me feel this way?

The movie had hit the bottom of Reuben’s priority list. There was a personalized love story happening right in front of his eyes and he struggled to see where he fit into it. Amber was going to use their experiences in her new novel, so her part was easy. The more realistic the experiences, the easier her job became.

But the more realistic it became, the more complicated Reuben’s job was. On one hand, he had to ask: Did this look like an actual relationship to other people? Would this be believable if he stood in front of a jury of paparazzi? On the other…the more ‘real’ it was, the more likely it would be for this little crush to grow into something more.

Reuben’s eyes flickered back toward the movie, not wanting to seem like a creep for staring at their conjoined hands. But it had been years since he experienced intimacy like this. Even the simplest touches woke up locked away sensations that he had been denying himself for so many years. Reuben began to wonder if dating, dating a human no less, might not be so bad. Maybe he could enjoy a normal life, despite his incurable condition.

One step at a time. This is the first date. Or was it the second? Third? Did either of the cafe visits count? He started to feel awful, knowing this wouldn’t last no matter what date number this was. That Amber would leave once she got enough information for her new novel, and when Reuben passed for being a ‘normal’ person by public standards. He gave a soft squeeze to Amber’s shoulders, a small side hug, enjoying the closeness while it lasted.

Unfortunately, whatever mood they’d created was ruined when Reuben’s phone started to vibrate near the end of the movie. It was a simple, short vibrate, indicating he was receiving text messages. At first, it was just one. Then another one a few minutes later. And then another, and another. Their frequency started to pick up after Reuben hadn’t opened any, let alone responded to them. No doubt it was his work attempting to contact him for some silly reason.

The end credits started to roll and soon the lights rose. Reuben lifted his arm up off Amber and returned his chair to an upright position. He already couldn’t remember a single detail about the movie...

“Well, I enjoyed that a lot,” he said. Which wasn’t a lie. He enjoyed cuddling with Amber on the recliners very much. “What did you think of it?”

His mind drifted along that thought line and he could only imagine what a movie night at his home could be like. A soft blanket, a long couch where they could lay down…heck, he might pass out with his own personal Amber-shaped heated blanket pressed close to his body. He quickly shook the thought out of his head and ran his fingers over his hair, checking if it was still in place.

“I enjoyed it a lot, too,” Amber replied, covertly rubbing her face while nodding and wiping her damp fingers on her pants. “It was a pretty predictable storyline, but I kind of like the knowledge that the ending is going to be happy. It’s much less stressful than real life, you know? Real life is so much more complicated than that.”

“If real life was as easy and adventure-filled as movies, it might be a little boring.” Reuben reached out and tucked a lock of Amber’s unruly hair behind her ear with a smile. After patting his pockets to check for keys, wallet and sunglasses, Reuben picked up his melted drink to throw it away, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The screen lit up to reveal 17 new text messages. He sighed. “Well, it was fun while it lasted. I’d like to do this again. Soon. Once I figure out my ever-changing work schedule, that is.”

“Your schedule can screw itself,” Amber grumbled as she allowed Reuben to lead her back out into the parking lot where they stood in the shade of a tree. The vampire’s expression when he glanced at his phone told Amber they’d probably already pushed their luck on time (plus they were still in the sun), but that didn’t stop her from raising Reuben’s hand to her lips and brushing her own warm ones against the cold flesh again.

As their hands lowered, Amber sighed. “Well, I best be letting you get back to work. Call me any time, eh? You know where I am. Sort of. See you soon?” Her usual flush colored her ears as Amber turned toward the nearby bus stop which would take her home.

“Soon,” Reuben chuckled. He followed Amber to the bus stop, unwilling to part just yet. Yes, his schedule was extremely demanding at times, but his empty life had been perfect for it. If Reuben was always busy, then he never needed to think about how alone he was. Now? He might have to rethink things.

They stood quietly next to each other under a tree until Amber was inside the bus, then Reuben waved his new friend goodbye. “I’ll see to it that your phone number is put to good use. See you soon.”

He then walked in the opposite direction toward his parked car. He was still perturbed that he couldn’t drive his date home, but he understood. Amber didn’t want the starving paparazzi hanging around her windows…it was only polite to respect her wishes. And if he didn’t know where she lived, he also couldn’t inadvertently lead any angry mobs to her. He hopped into his car and checked his phone.

Stella

No one has seen you in the office today. We have a meeting later.

There’s no way you’re still at the aquarium.

Meeting at 3 pm in conference room 1.

Don’t be late.

Did you see the text about the meeting?

MEETING AT 3PM SHARP.

Reuben DEVITO.

You better be dead, not answering your phone.

Ha, didn’t mean that. But you will never see the end of Mount Paperwork if you aren’t here at 3.

Seriously?

Answer your phone!

Reuben! You need to be here!

He flicked through the rest of the text messages, finding more of the same with the addition of more and more curse words as he scrolled. After a quick message to tell them he would be there, Reuben put the car in reverse and pulled out of his parking place. He had twenty minutes to get to the office, which wouldn’t have been a big deal if he’d been in work attire. The tangerine shirt and jeans would make him feel almost naked in the office.

Thankfully he did have an extra button-down shirt and tie in the back, which would get him through. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and scowled. His hair was anything but perfect and his face was a mess of sunburn…that was another issue, but one he had no real solution to right now. “Everyone is going to look at me like I’ve grown a second head,” he grumbled, checking his mirrors before pulling out onto the main road.

* * *

Mr. DeVito

M r. DeVito arrived with moments to spare, netting him a few extra glances from his coworkers. He could tell they were dying to know why the immaculate vampire rep arrived looking like he’d spent the day at the beach, but no one had time to interrogate him before they began.

The meeting was long and boring like every other meeting. Mr. DeVito contributed when needed, but he believed all of the information could be conveyed with a nicely written email and saved everyone the trouble. All he could think about was his morning date and how easily Amber seemed to settle into the position of girlfriend. Had she never experienced heartbreak, or was the woman that self-assured? She blushed a lot, but when it came to actions, Amber was the braver of the two.

The Vice President of HOME finally tapped his folder on the table and walked out after all the questions were asked. The rest cleared out shortly after a stretch or gathering their things.

Mr. DeVito saw his manager approaching like a bull from the corner of his eye and headed her off at the pass. “Stella...you know I was working on the task I was given.”

He smoothed out his collar to stall as his brain pieced today’s most recent events into something sensible. But also to wait until prying ears left the room. Most of his coworkers feared Stella more than they wished to sate their curiosity about Mr. DeVito’s busy morning. They cleared out faster than kids on the last day of school.

Mr. DeVito continued speaking as the door clicked closed and only the two of them remained. “I’m caught up with my work. I read the scripts for the next few press interviews, gave my notes, and returned them for revisions. I signed and initialed every paper given to me. Read every email.” He fiddled with his notebook and pen as he stood in her line of fire.

“This morning, I asked the woman I met at the singles event for an official first date, like I told you I was going to. We hit it off and I believe she will be a perfect partner.” He felt ashamed about the way he was talking about Amber. He wasn’t saying anything bad, really, but he wasn’t used to talking so candidly about someone he might like. The situation was supposed to be treated like a business transaction and he knew it, but Amber was growing on him with each minute they spent together.

Stella’s lips pursed, clear as day that she was debating punishment or not. She walked past the vampire, tapping his shoulder and deciding on mercy. “Job well done, but you better not let this affect your office hours. I expect you to be on time like everyone else. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy your time with your new girlfriend. And that you keep her safe.” With that, Stella disappeared.

Mr. DeVito sat at his desk the rest of the day with his tail tucked between his legs and head hung low. He tried desperately to get through the day free of questions. Despite his coworker’s curious stares as they walked by, he did seem to be safe from further interrogations. He kept his head buried in work until the last person left the office. Only then did he leave, not wanting to be accused of not pulling his weight. After all the exhaustion, he passed out the second his head hit the pillow that night.