Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Amber

“A fter you, Amber.”

Reuben held the door for Amber who hurried in and settled into her usual chair along the back wall, surrounded by the wonderful smells of coffee and baked goods. The cafe was fairly empty as she had predicted, for which she was grateful.

Reuben sat in the chair across from her and glanced around, also grateful for such little company. “You come here often, you said? It’s nice. Smells great.”

“Yeah, this is my favorite place to bring my laptop and write when I can’t stand being in my apartment anymore. The change of scenery can help sometimes.” Amber removed her coat and hung it on the back of her chair, settling into the familiar space before turning her bright eyes on her date. “That, and being able to watch people interact. That’s a big help to making believable characters, you know.”

Reuben nodded, cleared his throat, and scooted his chair closer. “How…how often do you watch the news or read about supernatural politics?” The nerves were obvious in the vampire’s voice, though Amber was clueless as to what politics had to do with anything. Especially after she had specifically mentioned hating them at the event!

“I...can’t really say that I pay too much attention to current affairs, I’m afraid,” she replied. “The news makes me feel sad, so I don’t generally watch it. I can get bits and pieces of what people are currently offended by when I scroll through social media, but that’s about it.”

A sigh of relief slipped past Reuben’s lips. Before he could say anything further, the barista, Marissa, walked up to collect their order.

“Oh, Amber!” Marissa exclaimed, “Wonderful to see you again. And I see you have a friend!” She looked at Reuben and her smile faltered ever so slightly. “Oh, Mr. DeVito? Never thought I’d see you in a place like this.” It was obvious from her expression that she belonged to the group who didn’t look kindly on the face of supernatural citizenship.

Amber watched as Reuben physically flinched, ducking his head down when his last name was spoken. His eyes glanced around cautiously, though the few people in the cafe hadn’t seemed to notice. The lack of movement in the shop let him relax a little bit into his chair. Amber’s eyebrows lowered slightly, curious why her date suddenly acted so strange.

He clasped his hands together on the table in front of him and gave a toothless smile. “My apologies. I’m here with my new friend, Amber. Whatever she orders, please put it on my card.” He slipped into his wallet and pulled out a silver credit card. “I’ll have a raspberry tea for myself.”

The barista did her best to hide the fact she was uncomfortable as she nodded and accepted the credit card.

A slight blush of secondhand embarrassment colored Amber’s cheeks, which only deepened when her companion stole the check. Did that require they go on a second date so Amber could pay and make things equal? But would it be rude to ask for a second date purely based on that logic, even if Reuben didn’t know that was the motive? Was she overthinking this entire thing?

Yes. Yes she was.

So to break the cycle of winding up, Amber cleared her throat and smiled at the barista. “One peppermint hot chocolate, please. With whipped cream and a hint of almond?”

“Your usual, then? To nobody’s surprise,” Marissa laughed, seeming more comfortable now that her attention had been pulled away from Reuben.

She hurried away and Amber pondered something about Reuben and the barista’s exchange which had seemed...off. It took a moment, but the fuzzy thoughts of “Mr. DeVito” and “vampire” eventually melded into a coherent piece of information that she could examine.

Her eyebrows raised and Amber turned to face Reuben. “OH, you’re the Mr. DeVito! The one everyone was screaming about on social media last week! I must say, opinions on my timeline were quite divided. But...I wouldn’t have pegged you as single. Or interested in dating, if I’m being honest. But I must say, I’m glad to see that you’re not the kind who flaunts his name around at events like we attended to ensure he gets the most attention. It’s...refreshing.”

“Oh, yes. Social media was on fire last week when they found out a new housing development would be built in the city, specifically having supernaturals in mind. Tinted windows, reinforced walls, doors and such.” He looked down at the table and a wave of sadness lapped at Amber’s gut. Reuben’s face looked haunted, as if he could still hear the protest that had gathered outside city hall that day.

“I saw that one side believes giving supernaturals a place to live so close to the city center would increase the crime rate and put humans at risk. But the others say that supernaturals have been living in the area for years and not once has anyone taken a bite out of anyone’s neck. I’m kind of somewhere near the latter, I think. A higher percentage of supernaturals doesn’t necessarily mean a higher percentage of problematic supernaturals.”

The barista returned at that moment with the drinks and placed Reuben’s near the edge of the table. It could have been blamed on the angle she was handing the cups at, but the shaking in her fingers told a different tale. He gave a small, toothless smile and a head nod. A soft ‘thank you’ fell from his lips, trying not to scare the girl any further.

Amber’s, on the other hand, Marissa placed directly in front of her while standing closer than was necessary. Almost as if she were using Amber as a shield, truth be told. “Was…there anything else I can get for you?” Both Amber and Reuben shook their heads and the girl scampered away.

Reuben sniffed his warm raspberry tea before sipping it; Amber supposed supernaturals could never be too cautious when it came to humans preparing their drinks. He must have found it poison-less, because he blew across the steaming surface and took a sip. “Mmm, that’s nice.”

It saddened Amber that her favorite barista would treat her new friend as if he were a ticking time bomb. She slowly stirred the almond cream into her cocoa with the peppermint stick, gathering her thoughts before returning to their previous conversation.

“I think...that people protesting the new housing complexes need to get over themselves. What they don’t seem to realize is that these people who will be moving into those new apartments are already in the city living, working, and recreating. It’s not like building a new complex is going to suddenly make new supernaturals appear out of thin air.”

Reuben nodded, but Amber picked up that the protest wasn't something her new friend was excited to talk about, so she changed the topic. “So. You said you had a solution to both of our problems? I’m curious what kind of problem a high-roller such as yourself would have that you couldn’t get someone to fix for you!”

She paused, seeming to consider her words. “Then again, I guess everyone has their problems, no matter what kind of life they are living. But I also guess I have to shut up before you can answer my question...sorry. I chatter when I’m nervous.”

Reuben waved his hand. “Please, it’s wonderful. You’re the most real person I’ve met all night.” He glanced around again, only continuing in a low voice when he saw Marissa had returned to the counter and no one else was looking in the pair’s direction.

“Being the face of supernatural rights has its perks, I won’t lie. I am able to help many supernaturals stuck in situations that I had found myself in years ago. They gave me a house, a company car, and I am invited to many dinner events...from the outside, it looks like I have the perfect life.

“But I am also HOME’s token vampire that they get to drag around like a show dog. People outside the organization often get close to me for all the wrong reasons, which leads to me having an awful track record in the dating department. At least I get to enjoy a drink with a beautiful lady tonight.”

Amber continued sipping her cocoa as she listened to Reuben, finding a bit of curiosity poking at the back of her mind. What situations had the man in front of her been in? Seeing how people today still treated vampires and werewolves and the like, she could only imagine how things had been before the Supernatural and Human Treaty.

The things he mentioned were so basic...a place to live, reliable transportation, the opportunity to interact normally with other members of the public. Had he struggled to maintain those base elements of a comfortable life?

But was a comfortable life worth basically becoming a pet of the public?

“I...I don’t know what to say. I’m feeling embarrassed for my species. I’m sorry that people have treated you so poorly, but I hope that you don’t let that get in the way of finding yourself someone that makes you happy. Because honestly? Happiness is the least that everyone deserves, in my opinion.” She flushed at Reuben’s shameless attempt to flirt with her, an experience that Amber didn’t quite know how to respond to. When was the last time someone had called her beautiful?

“There is no need for apologies,” Reuben insisted. “You have already treated me better than anyone else tonight, and by that I mean you treated me like a regular person. I used to be angry and bitter about my lot in life, but my views of the world have changed.

“I now understand people a lot more and have moved on from the grudges I used to hold on to so tightly. The world isn’t as black and white as I was once led to believe. But also…If the world was filled with more people like you, it would be a wonderful place to live. I also wish the same happiness for you. But I wouldn’t want anyone to be stuck with me for the rest of their lives if they didn’t wish for it.” Reuben’s forehead crinkled. He reached up and rubbed it a few times with his palm, suddenly looking quite weary.

Amber shook her head and scraped at a bit of whipped cream stuck to the rim of her cup. “I mean, you’ve been so kind. I don’t think that I would consider going out with you ‘being stuck’ at all. As long as the Ben I met tonight isn’t all a facade and you’re a mean, horrible person who turns upside down at the drop of a hat.”

She chuckled, making it obvious that she was purely joking and didn’t believe that to be the case at all. “I may not have gone to the dating event to find a partner, but…I’m glad you asked me out for drinks. I never would have thought that someone as important as you might be interested in a hermit author who can’t bring herself to use her real name.”

Reuben put down his tea. His mouth curled downward and he refused to meet Amber’s gaze. She tilted her head, sensing the shift in mood. A frown was not the reaction she expected from her admission. Her stomach twisted into knots as she waited for Reuben to break the silence.

“I appreciate the compliments, but don’t let the glamor fool you.” Reuben continued staring at his tea cup and began swirling the last few drops of liquid, obviously stalling. Finally, he looked up and admitted, “The real reason we’re here is because my bosses have twisted my arm into getting a public partner. They feel it would show that I am more human than everyone believes, and earn me a few extra points in the polls.”

The warmth Amber had been feeling cooled and her breath caught in her throat as she realized what Reuben was saying. He...was being forced to find a partner? Did that mean that she was nothing more than the least annoying human he could find?

She suddenly felt less like she was on a date and more like she had been singled out for a job interview that she was unaware of. How silly of her to think that such a handsome and high-profile man as the Mr. Reuben DeVito would be interested in her!

But she did her best to keep her disappointment from showing on her face. She simply nodded while holding her cocoa cup in front of her lips. What right did she have to be upset, anyway? Reuben had prefaced this ‘date’ with the phrase ‘to solve both our problems,’ so she should have seen it as the business transaction that it was. And she’d already admitted that she hadn’t gone looking for anything.

The reaction could have been worse…and so Reuben continued. “From the sounds of it, you need to know what it’s like dating someone like me, and I need to date a human to be more likable. I know this might not be the most romantic way to put it, but would you be interested in pretending to date me?

“It could help both of us. I can give you accurate information on vampires, and all you would have to do is pretend to be my girlfriend until the elections. Attend a few publicity functions or events to be seen together. You don’t have to actually talk to me outside prearranged ‘dates’ if you don’t want to.”

And there it was, as plain as day.

There was no way to convince herself she was misunderstanding. ‘Would you pretend to date me.’ Amber could see the benefits of such an arrangement. Gabriella would get off her back. Her novel would get more ‘true to life’ than she could have wished for.

But her Cinderella fantasy was crashing down around her. The clock struck midnight and the gift from the fairy godmother disappeared, leaving rags and a smashed pumpkin.

“There would be plenty of other supernaturals and humans present at all the events to study if you’d like,” Reuben hurriedly continued, seeing the light fading from Amber’s eyes. “And this may sound like a bribe, but they often have fancy desserts and food.”

The last detail was one hundred percent a bribe. Who would sacrifice their safety for creme br?lée? Once his request came out in words, he had to know he sounded crazy. His eyes shifted down to his tea, ready for rejection.

A rejection which came on swift wings. It was entirely too much. Reuben may be a show pony, but Amber was not. With a bruised ego and a heavy heart, Amber found her head shaking. “N…no, I…I need to go. Thanks for the cocoa.” Without another word, she pulled her jacket on and sprinted out of the coffee shop, leaving Reuben staring blankly at the empty wall in front of him.