Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Reuben

T he announcer picked up the mic and a slight squeal from it grabbed Reuben’s attention. “Thank you all for coming tonight,” the hostess said. “For the next hour, the tables will be moved apart and refreshments will be served. Feel free to wander the room and spend a little more time with anyone who caught your eye!

“If this is the end of our journey together, travel safely and we hope to see you again. If you’re staying with us for the casual event, please be patient while we set up. Feel free to hit the restroom or get some fresh air while you wait.”

Reuben slipped away quietly to take the offer on fresh air. He stepped outside to text his manager, grateful to finally be finished with the speed dating nonsense. After carefully examining his surroundings, he pulled out his phone.

Reuben

Are you sure this will work?

Stella

Shouldn’t you be at the singles event, Mr. DeVito?! If I find out you didn’t go, they’ll never find your head!

Reuben sighed heavily, knowing how furiously Stella must have punched the text into her phone. He could hear her screaming the message in his ear and knew he had to reply, or she would call him right then and there. The last thing he wanted to deal with was speaking to her over the phone.

Reuben

I am at the event right now. There is a small intermission. Just taking a few minutes to gather my thoughts.

Stella

Good! Then go find yourself a decent human to take home!

We need this plan to work out.

You know what is at stake.

But I know you’re more than capable!

You have half the girls at the office hanging on your every word. So make the magic happen with a human. : )

And that was that. There was no arguing with the boss…so he better find someone to show off. Reuben took a deep breath of night air and stared up into the darkening sky. He could leave now and say the meeting was a bust. Everyone was either a creep or wanted something from him in a blackmailing sort of way, and he would have to try to find someone a different way…but that would be a lie.

There was Amber.

Not only did she make great conversation, but her story was something Reuben could work with. They both needed something out of this exhausting night. He reached into his pocket and extracted the slip of paper, smiling when it was exactly what he thought it had been: Amber’s name and number in a barely legible scribble. He found himself oddly happy as he tucked the slip back into his pocket. Fine. He would do it.

Reuben wandered back into the hall with his suit jacket properly buttoned now that he wasn’t sitting down. His hair had managed to hold itself together so far and his thirst was also at a minimum, so he figured this was ‘best case scenario Reuben.’ His eyes scanned the room of people; the crowd had thinned out a bit, but the majority of attendees stayed for the second portion of the event. The free food and wine probably helped…

Then he caught sight of the messy head of brown hair atop a brown suit wandering the crowd. Reuben subconsciously smoothed his jacket one more time before beginning his delve into the mass of people. He didn’t get far before he was stopped by an eager woman gripping his elbow. It wasn’t a polite grab like Amber had done with his fingers earlier; this was demanding attention. The woman was bouncing in her heels.

“Hey Ben, I wanted to speak to you a bit more! Do you have a second?”

It took everything in Reuben not to spin around and smack the woman’s hand away. Once he calmed down from the adrenaline of suddenly being grabbed, Reuben instead gave her a big, toothy smile and shook his head. “I’m sorry, I’m looking for someone else.” The woman melted back onto her heels and released Reuben’s elbow, allowing him to continue his journey.

* * *

Amber

A mber considered leaving, but she knew Gabriella would be angry if she missed this second half of the opportunity she had given her. She was exhausted. Her brain and notebook were bursting with new information which she couldn’t begin to sort yet. But with a sigh, she straightened her bowtie and glanced around the room to see who was staying. She found herself hoping that Ben would still be there, but she couldn’t see him in the sea of people.

So she settled in an empty chair and pulled out her notebook, stalling in case any of the supernaturals she’d spoken with felt the desire to find her. As she skimmed the notes from her time with Ben, she kept having a recurring thought: The answers she’d been given to her questions were unexpected.

They were so...ordinary. Reading? Television? Simple hikes? She might as well have been speaking to any generic man on any generic dating app. It was simultaneously fascinating and a little frustrating. Obviously Gabriella had never sat down and spoken with a vampire! ‘Unimaginative’ her left big toe...She would be scanning her notes as soon as she got home and sending them to her agent in an email entitled “I’m Not As Much of a Lump of Cold Butter As You Seem To Think!”

Amber was also grateful that Reuben didn’t appear likely to pry too deeply into her writing, and his calming gestures were...well, rather attractive, really. She took a deep breath and had to remind herself that she wasn’t here to find a partner. She was here to do research.

But then again, was there anything wrong with at least checking out the options?

And so she stood and moved to the middle of the room. In the center of the crowd, Amber waited for anyone to approach her. She was surprised how affected she was that none of the other singles seemed at all interested in speaking with her further. The last seven years had been spent alone in her apartment, after all. But she was fairly pretty, she thought? Polite, knowledgeable? Not prone to fits of fancy or obnoxious jokes?

And yet here she was, standing alone in the center of a crowded room. She felt more unwanted than she had in a long time. Even Ben, who had appeared somewhat interested, looked to have vanished into thin air. “I guess I judged the interaction wrong,” she muttered. She was about to head for the door and call the experience over when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

“Excuse me. Amber?”

Amber turned back, startled, and found herself face to face with the handsome vampire. “Oh, hello Ben,” she replied, feeling a smile creeping up where the frown had been only moments before. “What can I do for you?”

Reuben took a half step back and shoved both of his hands into his pockets, seeming a bit nervous. Amber couldn’t help giggling to herself as she saw how flustered he looked. However, she waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts.

“I think I have an idea that might fix both of our problems,” Reuben said finally, giving a reassuring smile before leaning toward Amber. The room was abuzz with music and chatter, making conversation from a distance difficult. “Would…you like to discuss my idea further somewhere a little quieter? We could go to a coffee shop, or I might be able to convince the librarian to stay a bit later if you wanted to stop by the library?”

Amber listened with growing interest, her heart beginning to pound in her ears. Was…was Reuben asking her out on a date? It was a little hard to tell; ‘an idea to fix both our problems’ didn’t sound too date-ish, but coffee shops and libraries? Those were some of the most stereotypical date locations a romance author could think of.

The buzz of the surrounding conversation and music faded to nothing as Amber’s brain filtered it out and focused solely on the person in front of her. This was a big step, no matter the intent behind the invitation. She’d been entirely a recluse since her book took off in fear of being discovered.

Then again, she had chosen a male pen name specifically to make it harder to link her face to her book. So perhaps it wasn’t such a big deal after all? And so she did the bravest thing that she’d done since high school.

She decided to say yes.

“That would be delightful. There’s a lovely little coffee shop a few blocks away that should be about empty at this hour? I…probably spend more time there than I should, if I’m being honest. But the owners are sweet and the place is open all hours. It’s called Tres Leches and it’s on Grand Street. I don’t have a car, but it’s not too far of a walk. Or we could get a taxi?”

It was at this point that Amber began to wonder if she was babbling and snapped her mouth shut like an iron trap. Her ears turned a little rosy and she fidgeted with the notebook in her pocket before working up the courage to say anything else.

Reuben took the opportunity to fill the empty space. “Oh, we can take my car, if you are okay with that. I live a fair distance from here, so I brought my own transportation.”

Amber considered this option for a long moment; long enough, really, that it began to look like Reuben was worried she’d changed her mind. “I, uh…okay, that would probably be fine,” she finally replied. “I did want to grab some of the food before I left, though, if you don’t mind? I’m not one to pass up a free meal!”

“I don’t mind, please go ahead.” Reuben motioned to the small, but elegant food presentation the event had prepared.