Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Amber

A mber slipped away to yes, get food, but more importantly to allow herself to settle down. Excitement and fear rushed through her veins in equal parts. It had been many, many years since a man had shown an interest, be it casual or more. In fact, the last had probably been her senior year of high school when Ryan had torn her life apart.

She shook away the thought, not wanting to cloud the possibilities of the night with the ghosts of the past.

The spread was simple, but she could feel herself beginning to salivate as she examined all of the (expensive-looking) confections. There were about a dozen varieties of chocolates and, after glancing around furtively, Amber put one of each on her plate. She then slunk away like a wild cat without bothering to grab any of the actual food.

For a moment she wondered if it was rude not to bring Reuben a plate. But not knowing what he could and could not eat made her feel like she was better off asking for forgiveness later.

While Amber busied herself at the buffet, Reuben waited patiently with his phone in hand, scrolling through a few emails to pass the time. She saw his eyes would flick up every few seconds to keep an eye on her. Was he trying to ensure she was coming back?

Though perhaps she was glancing at him just as frequently for the same reason. There was no use staying here if he was going to ditch her…The second the vampire made a run for it, so would she. In the opposite direction.

Only moments after disappearing, Amber returned to Reuben’s side, half hiding her plate as if she feared judgment. Reuben did notice the large pile of chocolates, but chuckled to himself. Amber hadn’t been lying about her love for them.

“I wasn’t sure if you could eat anything they had on the table, so I hope you don’t find it rude that I didn’t make you a plate…” Amber’s voice was full of feigned confidence, which clashed with her nervous body language. She hoped that if Reuben did notice she was nervous, he wouldn’t automatically assume it was because Amber was afraid of him. On the contrary, she felt like she’d been given a golden opportunity to get information for her book.

“It’s not rude at all, I promise. You don’t have to worry about feeding me. Unless you see a bowl of hard candies like DumDum suckers. I might be a little disappointed if I didn’t get a cherry flavored one.” Reuben winked to show he was joking and slipped his phone into his pocket. “Shall we depart? Tres Leches on Grand Avenue? I think I know the spot. I’m ready to head out if you are.”

Once Amber got over the shock of Reuben seeming unbothered by her awkwardness, she found herself relaxing. She nodded and followed him out into the night, sifting through her pile of chocolates to find the most appealing one to eat first.

The eyes of other attendees watching the pair leave prickled at the back of her neck, but Amber did her best to ignore them. Had she somehow managed to land the most desired man at the ball? Was...was she Cinderella right now?! Was that why everyone was staring?? The idea made her laugh internally as they left the crowd and entered the parking lot.

The parking lot was still decently full, but the protestors seemed to have disbanded after the sun went down. Amber was relieved, honestly; she didn’t want to think about what might have happened if she and her new acquaintance had to pass through the gauntlet of angry people.

Reuben’s eyes darted around the parking lot as he led Amber up to an all-black BMW Hybrid with tinted windows. The interior was also mostly black with silver trim. It, like its owner, was clean inside and out. Reuben reached into his pocket and clicked the key fob to unlock the doors, then opened the passenger door for Amber. “This is us. Please make yourself comfortable.”

Amber’s eyes widened when she saw the quality of Reuben’s car. Okay, she was definitely Cinderella. Yes, Amber had more money than she needed for her simple lifestyle. But the pristine and costly vehicle told her that Reuben either made infinitely more, or knew how to spend it. She slid inside with care and ensured no crumbs of chocolate fell from the plate. It would be an absolute shame to ruin the cleanliness of her surroundings.

Reuben waited for Amber to be settled before he rounded the car and slipped into the driver’s seat. She watched as he smoothed his hair and jacket, triple checked the mirrors, and turned the key. He looked even more nervous than she did, which actually made her a little more comfortable with the whole thing.

The car quietly started and the radio clicked on automatically to the local rock station. The volume wasn’t loud by any means, but Reuben did turn it down a little nonetheless. He also typed Tres Leches onto the touch screen. “Looks like it’s a short drive. You meant it when you said it was around the corner.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty conveniently located. I’m surprised it isn’t more popular than it is.” As she cautiously ate her pile of chocolates, Amber’s eyes flitted around the cabin before settling on her ride companion. “Thanks for the lift. And for...” She paused for a moment, realizing that ‘thinking I’m a little bit interesting’ didn’t sound great. “For taking time to hang out with someone as plain as me.” There, that was good. Yes. Very social.

“Plain? Anything but! Almost every person I met today was an exact photo copy of the last except for you. They asked the same questions. They had the same reactions. They might as well have been drones. You’ve shown an interest in me rather than my vampirism and when you speak, I can tell your words are genuine. I haven’t had that in a long time.”

Amber fidgeted with her empty plate, struggling to let his compliments soak in. She didn’t feel like treating Reuben like a person rather than a set of fangs was anything to be applauded. “It’s hardly anything impressive, but thank you?” she replied.

They both fell silent, the sound of the engine keeping them both company the rest of the way. Reuben’s driving was smooth, another victim of what looked like some sort of perfection filter. He slowed down for stop signs at the appropriate times and checked his mirrors regularly. His speedometer never extended 1MPH over the speed limit.

Before she knew it, they pulled up to a nice little establishment. It might have been described as a ‘hole in the wall’ kind of place, a red door set in brick with a window next to it smashed between two other businesses. Over the window was a small, striped-fabric awning which provided shade in the daytime to a single table and pair of chairs. The only indication this was a coffee shop was the stylized painting of a mug on the window and the shop’s name in gold on the door.

Amber looked down to unfasten her seat belt. When she looked up, she was surprised to see that Reuben had arrived at her door in the flash of an eye. “Wow! So vampires can move super fast? Fascinating!!” She didn’t know how that information might work into her novel yet. But she folded up her empty plate, tucked it under her arm, and pulled out her notebook to scribble herself a note.

For a moment she idly wondered if that same speed extended to other activities, but quickly shook the thought right out of her head.

She slid somewhat unsteadily out of the car and took a moment to regain her balance, chuckling as she did so. “Sorry, I’m a bit of a clumsy one.” Reuben smiled and offered a hand, which Amber waved away. She could keep herself on her own two feet!

Reuben’s manners thus far, though, had been impeccable and did their job: as awkward as Amber felt about going on this date, she found comfort in Reuben’s polite manner.