Nick found Charlie’s Instagram. It was private.
He sent a follow request and messaged, I have a question about volunteer papers. Might as well put those hours to use, right?
He did not receive a response until the afternoon. Charlie accepted! Nick’s eyes darted over his response message twice before he composed himself during a long blink and read, I’m not working today but the concierge will sign them for you.
Nick lay in bed with his dog, Nellie, and scrolled through Charlie’s page. His bio featured he/him pronouns and two emojis: the rainbow flag and a drum. The latter made sense as Nick perused his posts. Charlie played the drums! The majority of his pictures were at concerts, either in the audience with people Nick didn’t recognize, or playing on stage.
The other portion of his posts seemed to be his daytime interests: picnics in parks, museums, and meeting random dogs in coffee shops. The most recent post happened around Valentine’s Day, if the art drawn on the café windows was anything to go by. He’d captioned the carousel post, Met an angel today. His name is Mario and he likes cold foam.
It started with some kind of massive hound breed, and then swiped to three hands holding their beverages in a cheers gesture, and then more photos of a museum exhibit titled, Love in Etruria: Romeo and Juliet before Italia.
Nick tapped the photo with the beverages and found the corresponding hands with username tags. One of them was easy enough to sort out: Charlie’s sister, Victoria Spring. The other, a Michael Holden, Nick couldn’t figure out since all of their pages were private. But he did connect a face to him since Charlie also had a selfie where he laid back against Michael’s chest, the two of them smiling.
If I can have my sister and her partner’s help, Charlie had said. “Partner” could mean any gender, Nick reminded himself. And wouldn’t Charlie have told him if he had a boyfriend?
Nick refreshed the page and the ring around the profile picture alerted him to Charlie’s temporary stories. The first was a selfie of Charlie with his chin on a countertop with the cat. The pet scale off to the side marked the place as the vet, but he tagged his sister and Michael and said, We have a new flat mate.
The story was from a few hours ago, which made Nick annoyed at his phone for failing to load that sooner, but he did have access to a much more recent one. Charlie stood with just his socked feet in frame, but Tori and Michael sat on a carpeted floor with the kitten. Michael held a feather wand and the cat seemed comfortable enough with her new family.
Nick deliberated on his own bravery; whether he should or shouldn’t interact with anything. But that would be silly, wouldn’t it? He was already in Charlie’s DMs. He reacted to the story with a heart emoji, and left it there. Until he didn’t. He went back to their messages and typed, Can I ask when you’re working next?
Nick’s breath stalled in his chest as he saw the typing ellipsis pop up. Then, Tomorrow but don’t come.
His brows furrowed and his thumbs flew across, Why not?
A big symposium thing is tomorrow and nobody will be available to sign papers.
Do you need volunteers?
What did I say about working for free?
Nick rationalized, I’ll do better at getting a proper job if I have the hours stocked up.
Charlie challenged, If you want to be stubborn you can call the hotel and ask if they need volunteers. I’m busy dodging claws.
Nellie’s ears moved with the sound of Nick opening his laptop. He looked up the hotel phone number and typed, How is she?
She needs a lot of work but she’ll be okay bandaged heart emoji
Nick took a deep breath and dialed the hotel. After two rings, he heard, “St. George Hotel. Concierge speaking.”
“Hi, um, my name’s Nick. I was a volunteer there yesterday. I heard there’s an event happening tomorrow and was wondering if you all needed volunteers?”
The woman’s tone changed slightly, like she might be amused or smiling. She also spoke slower, like she was writing something down. “You said your name is Nick…how old are you?”
Nick heavily considered lying, but dared, “Sixteen.”
She didn’t pause and segued, “Okay, let me ask around to find out who might need the help tomorrow. Can I put you on hold for a few minutes?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. Thank you.”
“Sure, love,” she finished, before his ear became inundated with idle music. He turned the phone to speaker mode so he could sit against his headboard and wait. And contemplate the ridiculousness of all this. He’d never considered volunteering anywhere. His coursework and rugby took up a lot of time, and he liked what few hours remained to himself. But now he wanted to spend those hours with a certain hotel employee…
The music halted abruptly and, “All right, Nick, are you still there?”
He flinched hard enough for Nellie to take her head off his thigh and change position. He rushed, “Yeah, yes, I’m here.”
“Parking could use you, but this means we need you here a bit early. Is that all right?”
Nick didn’t know what early meant but it was the weekend so why not? “Sure, I can get there.”
She gave him the time and details of how to dress and where to go. It sounded exactly as he’d been yesterday, white dress shirt and black trousers, but since he would be outside, he was allowed a coat and comfortable trainers. Nick finished the call feeling weirdly excited, albeit nervous. Still, a great deal of relief pushed him to go downstairs, where his mother perused a cookbook for dinner options. “Hi, baby. Did I hear you talking to somebody?”
“Yeah,” he said as he closed the fridge for juice. “Is it okay if I work at the hotel again tomorrow? They need people to help with parking. They’re hosting some sort of convention or symposium thing.”
“That sounds exciting,” she smiled but said seriously, “I don’t want you out there freezing.”
“I won’t. They said I can wear a coat and whatever shoes I want.”
“Be sure to set out your long johns tonight to layer up tomorrow. This April chill isn’t supposed to let up until half of May. What do you want for dinner? Shall we divert back to soup season?”
“It’s always soup season in England,” he reminded, and checked his phone while he took a drink…
Charlie posted a new story. He and Michael stood in a kitchen, both holding thumbs up and a towel-wrapped cat between them. Michael had water droplets on his glasses, and Charlie’s shirt was marred by water stains. The cat looked equal parts shell-shocked and ready for murder. The text over the picture informed, Flea bath successful. We’re all soaked.
Nick barely managed not to spit juice and coughed as the acidity burned his sinuses. Sarah’s brows flew up in surprise and then frowned. “What’s happened?”
Nick coughed behind his hand and screenshot the image so he could leave Instagram and zoom into the photo. He explained, “The person who gave me a ride yesterday—that’s him, there—he rescued a cat off the hotel grounds. He took her to the vet today and I guess has a list of things he has to do for her.”
Sarah laughed, “A flea bath, oh my word…and who is that gentleman there?”
“I think he’s his sister’s partner, but I’m not sure. They all live in London, usually, but Charlie—that’s his name—is here for work during the spring.”
“I thought you said he went to Truham recently?”
“He did, but he said he’s a part time student. I don’t know where.”
“Ah, I see. Help me pick something for us,” she diverted back to her dinner task at hand.
* * *
Charlie looked at his phone and frowned. If his colleague was calling him to fill in for someone, they were about to face disappointment. He answered, “Hello?”
“Hello, hot commodity,” she greeted. “I have a lovely bird on hold asking about volunteer positions.”
Charlie’s facial muscles utterly relaxed, and then pulled up in a flushed, giddy smile. He works fast.
He could feel Tori’s attention on him but ignored her. “And what have you told him?”
“I said I’d ask around to see where he’s needed. Do you want him on your team?”
Charlie went quiet as he gave this serious thought. He would be working inside, close to the guests and their families. “Put him outside, if you can.”
“All right. Why?”
“The goth girl had a look at him and liked what she saw.”
The concierge cackled. “Is she really so dangerous?”
“Maybe not, but keep him safe for me.”
“Sure thing. And what do I get for this?”
“Uh, nothing, because I won’t be here for most of next week.”
“Cheapskate. Happy birthday.”
“Thank you,” he sang into the phone. He set it down on a dry spot on the kitchen counter and continued cleaning up the mess of bathing the cat.
Tori crooned, “What was that about?”
“We’re organizing volunteers for a big event at the hotel.”
“And you like one of these volunteers? You never smile over work unless a man is involved.”
He raised his head like a disgruntled barkeep wiping the counter. “Leave me alone.”
She smirked and took hers and Michael’s drinks to the couch, where the latter cooed over the cat on a heating pad.
* * *
Nick felt official with his luminescent vest and neon orange baton. Since he was younger, he was stationed close to the hotel, where cars had to crawl through the directed routes to their parking spaces. He hadn’t actually seen Charlie yet, but he reckoned his shift would be done soon since the car park and the ensuing lawns of the hotel front were filled with vehicles. Nick stepped out of a row of vehicles to see if more cars were coming down the lane, and turned to be once more out of the way—
“Oh!” he startled at Charlie in his place. “You’re so quiet.”
He looked down to see what kind of shoes Charlie wore to have come here silently. However, this allowed him a long journey back up to see how he dressed differently for today: the usual black shoes and slacks, but with a black sweater vest and tie over his dress shirt. “You look…”
“Like a penguin’s cousin?” Charlie provided.
“I was going to say good,” Nick redeemed. “Really good. Dapper, even.”
Charlie smiled with a slight ducking of his chin. He said, “Thank you,” before offering Nick a disposable cup with a lid. “I made you tea. I don’t know how you like it, though.”
“Thank you,” Nick uttered gratefully, giddily. He tucked his baton under his armpit and took the cup. Nick always ran on the warm side, which allowed him to feel the coolness of Charlie’s fingertips. It was a wonder he noticed Charlie eyeing his hair. “Is there something on my head?”
Instead of answering, Charlie looked down and asked, “Did you wear those shoes last time?”
Nick looked down too but replied, “No, they’re different.”
Charlie chirped a sound and came to the end of a thought. “Mm, that’s it.”
“What’s it?”
“You’re taller than me today.”
A smirk started to lift one side of Nick’s mouth. “I am taller than you.”
“No, we’re the same.”
“We’re not the same,” he laughed, and then noticed, “You changed your earrings.”
Indeed, Charlie’s little hoops were now tiny bars. He reached up, self-consciously turning them to make sure they pointed down the way he wanted. “I thought they might be a good change for a bit.”
“They look good,” Nick said, and then covered his embarrassment by taking the lid off his tea to dip a finger in. He blew on it before his mouth ran away with, “I look like a highlighter.”
Charlie coughed a laugh, which fell into sincere giggles. “Visibility is important. I want you safe. Speaking of, the first speech just finished, so there shouldn’t be many cars still arriving. You can get ready to go home and get warm.”
I want you safe, echoed in Nick’s brain and he pressed the lid back over his cup. “I’ll stick around a little. I need to check with the parking boss first—”
“Charlie!” a voice called. “They’re doing a toast early!”
Charlie blurted a sound and rushed, “Gotta go!” and sprang into a soaring, light run. Light, because he took off like a bird. Silent, aside from the initial press of his shoes into the stride. Charlie was fast. Nick didn’t know if that was a vampire thing or a Charlie thing, but he wanted to find out.
The parking manager confirmed that he could go and took his vest and baton. Nick made sure to have him sign a volunteer sheet, and folded it into his coat pocket. He still needed one for his first afternoon here, but that could wait. He wanted to see what an adult party at this hotel was like.
He checked his coat into the cloak room and didn’t feel so out of place in just his dress shirt and slacks. The hotel staff were dressed professionally in black and white, but they seemed allowed to customize beyond that dress code. The concierge woman wore a sharp black blazer and a long spear of a pendant over her decolletage. Not that Nick noticed.
His gaze snapped up to her strutting along the wall of the ballroom and high-fiving Charlie, who rescinded the gesture before his jaw dropped. He looked surprised, and then miffed about something. Like he lost a bet.
Then, they walked together into the kitchen, and Nick was left to survey the rest of the convention. A table carried pamphlets arranged like a flower, but a sign on a brass standee also provided a schedule for the evening. There seemed to be a lot of time in between presentations and especially after a dinner break. People were dressed in varying degrees of full suits or left their jackets on their seats. Every person wore some manner of perfume as they walked past Nick, overloading his senses with colour while the staff remained starkly easy to see in their monochrome.
Standing close to the kitchen helped. The grounding smells of cooking helped reset his senses…
“Hey.”
He held his tea close to his chest as his eyes followed the voice to a girl—Charlie’s patient. Angela? She wore heavy eyeliner this time. He smiled politely alongside, “Hey. You all right?”
“Yeah. It’s nice to see a person in my age group here.”
Nick didn’t really consider himself in her age group anymore but he let her have it since being dragged to her parents’ functions must be boring. “It’s a little bit fun to be at an adult party, no?”
“Not these adults,” she corrected. “University people, sure.”
He frowned slightly, curious. “Do you know many of those?”
“I go to school with so many humans,” she sighed. “They’re fine. Lovely, even. But university is a bigger world. I can’t wait to be there.”
Nick admired her ambition, but he did not share it. He had never been in a rush. He liked being exactly where he was—when Harry wasn’t driving him up a wall. He didn’t have any idea where he wanted to go to university. He didn’t even seek out other schools for sixth form, instead choosing to stay at Truham.
“Pardon me,” a man approached. He looked young enough to be the son of somebody here, but that didn’t matter to Nick. Nick’s gaze met his for only a receptive instant before his eyes swept across the party, looking for Charlie. Meanwhile, he heard, “I’m having a bit of trouble with my car. Could you help me?”
Nick supposed this made sense, since everyone here saw him out in the car park. But Nick’s job had been strictly getting the vehicles to a stopping position. Not touching them in any capacity. Hotel guest property rules and all that. His boss had been strictly clear about what his job was and that he did not have to go outside those tasks.
“I’m just a volunteer,” he apologized, “but I can take you to the parking manager—”
The fabric of his shirt tightened behind him. Angela was holding onto him.
Behind the hotel guest, a few heads turned to them, as if some kind of whistle had yanked their attention. The man was talking. “I looked for the manager, but the car park is quite empty now. It won’t take long—”
Charlie strode out of the kitchen and turned right for them. Nick’s chest swelled at seeing him, but his eyes wandered Charlie’s face at hearing a soulless, polite, “Hello. Can I help you with something?”
The man’s eyes moved between Nick and Charlie, before he receded, “It’s okay. I’ll handle it. Thank you.”
Charlie’s head turned to track him leaving, and Angela’s hand let go of Nick’s shirt. Charlie’s attention swung back around to look at Nick and Angela. To the former, he asked, “You okay?”
Why did Nick feel like something was going on? “Uh, yeah. I’m fine.”
To Angela, Charlie snarked, “Shouldn’t you be skulking somewhere?”
“I’m skulking right here.”
He laughed and focused on Nick once more. “Do you need a ride home?”
Nick latched on, “Are you offering?”
Charlie grit his teeth in a grimace like he were caught between two trains of thought. “I can slip away during dinner but that’s an hour away.”
“I’ll wait,” Nick reassured. “It’s fine.”
Charlie held his gaze for a second. Nick wished it was longer, but Charlie diverted to Angela, “Behave.”
“No.”
Charlie giggled and she laughed too, and Nick had no idea what it was about.
Just as he had no idea what the next high five with the concierge was nearly an hour later. Charlie looked smug and she cackled a laugh. Either way, Nick found him swishing water in his mouth while a different team of staff handled the buffet tables. “Is now a good time?”
“Yep,” he said, and they slipped out the back French doors. They fell into Charlie’s car like they had a deadline, but it made sense with Charlie needing to come back to finish his shift. Charlie cruised out of the full lot and then revved up to speed on the main road.
Meanwhile, Nick asked, “I feel like I missed something back there.”
Charlie’s head whipped around. “You forgot something?”
“No, no, I mean, what was that between you and Angela?”
A spark of epiphany lit up Charlie’s face. “That man was coming onto you and she alerted me to it.”
Nick’s jaw fell into his lap. “Really? ”
Charlie glanced at him, but only quickly as he caught the green light. “What did he say to you?”
“I dunno. Something about needing help with his car.”
Charlie snorted, “Nick.”
“What? ”
“Don’t go anywhere alone with a man. No wonder Angela pinged me.”
A terse, “Ah,” blurted out of him. “I’m alone with you.”
“Yeah, well, lucky mistake,” Charlie sassed at him, and checked his mirrors to change lanes.
Nick picked up his jaw and licked his lips, brows furrowing with critical thinking. “What do you mean, Angela pinged you? She didn’t have her phone out.”
It was Charlie’s turn to frown. “Didn’t you say someone in your family is a vampire?”
“Yeah, my aunt.”
“Oh. Then you don’t know about resonance?”
“Resonance? Maybe…what is it?”
Charlie did not catch the next stoplight, but this gave him time to sit back and explain, “It’s a…wavelength, of sorts, that vampires can detect. You’ve probably heard people talk about ‘aura.’”
“Sure, but probably not the way you mean.”
“Everyone has an aura. It’s their resonance. Their energy that sort of…hovers around them or moves with their emotions. It’s mostly like a muscle, but a muscle that hits a vampire almost like a light or a sound. Vampires are more like light. Humans are more like sound, but either way, vampires can recognize one another because of it. Humans are oblivious.”
Nick drank up this information. “So…Angela…flashed a light at you, so to speak? Even through the walls of the kitchen?”
“For having two human parents, she’s a very good vampire. And if the walls suck, we can see a person like a heat signature through the walls.”
“Woah,” Nick awed. “But a room full of people…is that not, like, a lot?”
Charlie nodded and eased back up to speed. “It can be. Some vampires really hate it, but some don’t mind as much.”
“So…I have a sound?”
“Mmhm.”
“Is it loud?”
Charlie peeked at him with a warm smirk. “Only when you look at me.”
Nick caught his eyes in his palm. “That’s embarrassing.”
“I’m flattered.”
“So, everyone in that hotel knows I have a big crush on you?”
Charlie swallowed and turned into his neighborhood. “Only the vampires who care to pay attention. But it’s your resonance that made that guy bugger off.”
“How so?” he asked, not wanting this conversation to end so soon.
“Vampires have rules.”
“What rules?”
“Little…” he wobbled his fingers while still holding the steering wheel, “social etiquette rules. Like, if a vampire comes on to somebody, but that human chooses a different vampire, the first is obligated to respect it.”
Nick stared at him. His memory flashed to the man’s eyes looking between him and Charlie. “I chose you.”
Charlie’s lips pinched a little, but he nodded whilst meeting his eyes. He faced forward again and Nick ventured, “But this means you chose me too?”
Charlie did not answer right away. He slowed down with the neighborhood speed limit, and maybe to have a bit more time. “It’s complicated.”
“Why?”
Charlie gave him a piteous look. “I can’t exactly claim a teenage volunteer whilst at work.”
Nick felt something in his chest wilt. “Oh.”
Charlie gave that the second it deserved but continued, “If you had known, you could have chosen Angela, since she was right there.”
“No, I couldn’t. Angela pinged you, right? She knows. And why can that guy hit on me but you can’t claim or whatever vampires are doing?”
Charlie’s shoulders lifted with his deep breath. He looked like he wanted to tell Nick something, but his head faced forward and he said, “Your mum’s home.”
Indeed, her blue car was parked with the boot and back doors open for groceries. Charlie pulled into the driveway slowly, and turned his lights off. Nick checked his phone, surprised at what good time they’d made. To Nick’s further surprise, Charlie unlocked the doors for them both to get out.
Sarah stood upright and visibly relaxed once she sat Nick stand up out of the car. Nick, who glanced at Charlie coming around the front whilst pulling on his shirt cuffs. “Mum, this is Charlie.”
She extended a hand and he met it with his own. “Hello, I’m Sarah.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Thank you for bringing him home. How’d it go?” she said to both of them.
Charlie looked to Nick, who replied, “Good! My job was easy. Charlie’s not done yet.”
Charlie seconded, “Everyone is distracted by food, so I was able to get away for a bit.”
Sarah’s attention roamed over him. “You must be freezing. But before you go, Nick told me you used to attend Truham?”
He nodded, but his expression emptied with not knowing why she asked. Sarah provided, “You’re in the area, then?”
“I’m staying with my parents for now,” he confirmed, “otherwise I call London home.”
“Would you like to come over tomorrow for breakfast?”
Both Nick and Charlie stared at her. Nick was the one who exclaimed breathily, “Really?”
“Yes. We have time before you leave for school, and if Charlie’s schedule allows, why not?”
She waited for Charlie to answer. He smiled, nervous but chuffed. “That’s really nice. I don’t want to impose.”
“You’re not. It’s an invitation.”
Nick watched Charlie with fascination. In the brunt of Sarah’s invitation, Charlie was not a professional employee. He was just Charlie; a slightly nervous, but kind person. A very cute person.
He looked to Nick, silently asking him what he wanted. Nick smiled softly. Of course he wanted Charlie to come over. Charlie swallowed and glanced at the ground before he hauled his gaze up to answer, “Okay. Breakfast.”
“Good,” Sarah approved, and then said to her son, “Help me with the last of the shopping, would you?”
“Sure,” Nick chimed. To Charlie, he said, “See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” he exhaled, like he couldn’t believe it. He started to turn back towards his car but halted, “Oh, here.”
He reached into a pocket and handed Nick a piece of paper. Nick couldn’t help himself. He made sure to touch Charlie’s fingers as he grasped the paper. Charlie’s skin felt warm to the touch this time. Upon unfolding the paper, Nick found another volunteer sheet, written out with his hours from two days ago and signed.
Charlie was already back in his car, where he reversed out of the driveway, and drove back to the hotel.
With his arm full of grocery bags, he shut the boot and Sarah asked on their way inside, “What’s that?”
“My volunteer sheet.”
“Marvelous. You don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
Nick supposed she was right, but not for the reasons she thought. Nick couldn’t believe he was about to have the best start to a Monday he could ever remember.
* * *
“Charlie!” a voice called. “They’re doing a toast early!”
Charlie’s head whipped around, his brain doing fast maths. Oh, these people were ready to get drunk. To Nick, however, he rushed, “Gotta go!” and dashed into the hotel.
A little known fact: champagne could go in a keg. This made pouring and distributing the coups and flutes far easier. Charlie finished the last one, which conveniently emptied the keg. He left the kitchen with a platter on his hand as kitchen staff worked on replacing the keg. Guests always preferred to see an expensive or exclusive bottle, but tonight was different.
Tonight, Charlie felt excited. He’d gone to the blood bank before his daytrip to London to introduce the cat to Tori and Michael, but he might as well have just taken vitamins. Whether it be a transfusion or a bag, something happened to blood before it made its way through his own body. Something was filtered out, something Charlie and every vampire innately wanted, even if they had never tasted it. It was the difference between a glass of juice or a Sunday roast; the first could invigorate, but the latter was a feast.
And it was just his damn luck that his favourite and most annoying colleague strolled over and held her hand up. Without thinking, he high-fived her, and then it sank in what she was silently telling him. “You fucking didn’t!”
“I did,” she crooned.
“Already? They’re not even tipsy yet.”
She chuckled and straightened the tuxedo jacket she used as a blazer. “This crowd doesn’t need liquid courage to ask you for a bite. Just wait, you’ll find one. They’ll find you, most likely. What about your—”
“No,” he warned.
“Okay, grumpy. May I ask why not? He came here for you, after all.”
“I’m not going to be put on a list, thank you very much.”
“Fine, but hand that off and come with me. Maintenance is asking me questions and I don’t have the answers.”
Charlie only had two coups left, so he set them on a coworker’s tray and carried his own under his arm as they strode to the kitchen. In short order, she used the kitchen’s phone to relay answers to other hotel teams, and Charlie was roped into the finishing touches for the dinner platters. More like overlarge hors d’oeuvres, they would be enough to cushion the alcohol in guests’ stomachs, but a nightmare for the staff to clean later. Charlie stood in the assembly line, a plastic container of seaweed in one hand and tweezers in the other. The person next to him rotated the dishes to squeeze a crescent of sauce over them, and then Charlie garnished the seared tuna squares as they came off the griddle. They smelled divine, but Charlie had other goals for his meal tonight…
A wave of resonance swept over him—and distinctly came back to him like a double take. Someone wanted his attention. More, it felt…familiar. He said a vague, “I need a moment,” and left the kitchen. Rounding the corning of the wall through which the resonance had come, he found none other than Angela. Angela standing with Nick. And…a guest, but no one of any real importance, as far as Charlie knew. Angela was good with resonance but still bombastic in the way her teenage years limited her. People were looking.
Charlie strode over to them and heard as he drew near, “I looked for the manager, but the car park is quite empty now. It won’t take long—”
Car park? Empty—Oh.
Charlie intervened, “Hello. Can I help you with something?”
At the very sight of Charlie, Nick lit up like a choral crescendo. God, Charlie could get used to that. It was dangerous that he could get used to that. For now, he needed to remove Nick from the menu of this hungry vampire.
Nick, bless him, had no idea how indiscrete he was. The man’s eyes moved between Nick and Charlie, before he receded, “It’s okay. I’ll handle it. Thank you.”
Charlie’s chest felt warm, but not so much with pride. Something else, something hungry and possessive as he watched the man leave and shark-fin his way back into the crowd. Even if Nick did not have the extra sensory awareness to know what passed amongst vampires, his resonance eased down a bit. Angela’s as well. Charlie looked at Nick first and asked, “You okay?”
God, no wonder Nick had evaded the big birthday party last week. He was an open book. Teenagers ate such things for snacks. Charlie could see his contemplation over what just happened, but he answered, “Uh, yeah. I’m fine.”
To Angela, Charlie honed in, “Shouldn’t you be skulking somewhere?”
“I’m skulking right here,” she snapped, but he could read in her aura that she felt lighter, relieved.
He laughed and decided that the sooner Nick left, the better. Vampires were only getting hungrier here. “Do you need a ride home?”
Nick piqued, “Are you offering?”
Pros and cons to being someone’s crush. Pros and cons of caring too much, himself. Charlie wouldn’t be able to ensure he was safe and gone unless he personally saw him home. He grimaced harmlessly as he thought aloud, “I can slip away during dinner but that’s an hour away.”
“I’ll wait,” Nick reassured. “It’s fine.”
Charlie held his gaze for a second. It really would be so easy to bring him outside to the back garden. To find a private corner…to kiss his lips and his jaw. To taste Nick’s tongue before Charlie kissed his throat and licked his skin. His tongue would pinpoint Nick’s heartbeat he would taste deeper, taking Nick inside his body—
Charlie sharply flicked his eyes to Angela and said to himself more than her, “Behave.”
“No,” she uttered, deadpan. She reminded him of his sister. Like she knew, they laughed together, leaving poor Nick out on the joke.
Charlie apologized to both of them, “I have tuna to finish,” and didn’t bother explaining to their matching frowns.
With tables starting to fill up with food, Charlie came and went from the kitchen with strong legs and confidence in his spine. The sweater vest might have been a bad idea, but when he had to dash to the garden clubhouse as often as other parts of the hotel, the additional layer helped.
Charlie brought a plastic crate of fresh bottles to the bar. For anyone who didn’t want champagne, they could ask for anything they liked. And clearly patrons were, since the barkeep eagerly restocked the rum and whiskey…
The thing about resonance…humans and vampires had it. So, in their own way, humans could ping him too. Charlie rotated to face the woman sitting at the bar. She was old enough to not shy away from his gaze. Mid-thirties, maybe.
They’ll find you, most likely.
Charlie smiled. “Hello. Can I get you something?”
“I hope so,” she sighed. Her body language followed him as he came around the bar and placed coasters in from of the stools for nonexistent patrons. But this gave her the proximity to say, “The whiskey’s not really cutting it, and I can’t be drunk for a presentation later.”
Charlie nodded his understanding. “Meet me in the back garden? I’ll find you.”
She didn’t bother taking her glass with her. She stood right up to leave and Charlie waited a moment to not follow immediately after—
“You cheeky sod,” the barman accused. “I’ve been waiting twenty minutes for that.”
Charlie giggled, guilty and pleased. “She likes twinks. What can I say?”
He shook his head and said gruffly, “If I were twenty years younger.”
“If you were human, you’d be my favourite coworker,” Charlie harmlessly flirted and consoled
“Shut up and go feed, brat,” he scolded, but with warmth in his eyes.
Charlie used the exit next to the bar. It wasn’t as visible from the ballroom. The last thing he needed was Nick following him outside. Charlie cast out his resonance and found the woman easily enough. A medium distance from the hotel, she stood idly beside a row of landscaping that had to be protected in a framework of netting. Charlie greeted, “Shall we find a bench?”
She gestured for him to lead. “Yes, please.” She was no stranger to this.
Charlie knew where all the benches were. He reached his resonance out to make sure he had the garden to himself. He wouldn’t have it forever. Plenty of staff and guests would be out here tonight. He enjoyed a party.
He sat down first and extended his arm across the back of the bench. She sat within the length of him and he put his hand on her back, “May I hold you?”
“Do try your best not to disturb my hair.”
“Sure,” he understood, and put his arms around her. In one hand, he supported her head, and his other arm encompassed her shoulders. She lifted her jaw for him and the day was still bright for him to see her artery before it faded back down with her breathing. His fangs chased it down, and a small sound escaped her. Her entire body went limp in his arms, but he held her up and retracted his fangs for blood to surge into his mouth. His lips pressed to her skin, sealing the blood’s route over his tongue, down his throat.
Charlie swallowed the initial gush, and then sucked for a long draught. The woman sighed wantonly, but it didn’t bother him. It wasn’t her fault that vampire venom made a person cum. It might be the orgasm that helped her confidence for her speech more than anything. Charlie didn’t mind providing it, especially when he could feel like he belonged on the planet again. Like his world was painted in watercolours and washed out, until blood stained it vivid and made everything real again.
But venom also healed his bites. Already, the holes were closing, closing, and his lips slid over smooth skin. He pulled back, keeping his mouth shut for his last swallow. He watched her skin change colours. A hell of a hickey rapidly went through the healing process in her flesh: the initial red inflammation, and then the maroon bruise, before finally fading as if nothing had happened at all.
The woman sat upright on her own now. Charlie obliged in wiping the side of her neck with his shirt cuff, and she plucked a compact mirror right out of her bra. Charlie noticed a wedding diamond on her finger, but that was none of his business.
She inspected her neck, hair, and makeup, and reached the verdict, “Splendid. Thank you very much.”
“Thank you,” he agreed, and stood up to offer her a hand. “Break a leg with your presentation.”
She accepted the lift up and smiled, “I plan to.”
They walked in separate routes back to the ballroom. Charlie made a point to find the concierge at her desk and returned the high five to her. She gasped in celebratory glee at him and let her head fall back in a cackle. Charlie reached under the counter for a bottle of water to swish his mouth. He didn’t normally have issues with a mess, but just in case—
His eyebrows shot up at Nick approaching him. He tipped his head back in gesture to the ballroom as he said, “Is now a good time?”
Charlie peeked in to see plenty of staff handling the food. He said, “Yep,” and led the way out of the hotel towards his car. The fish smell wasn’t so bad today; really, how only noticed it if he sought it out—
“I feel like I missed something back there,” Nick said.
Charlie’s head whipped around. He had already driven out onto the main road. “You forgot something?”
“No, no, I mean, what was that between you and Angela?”
Charlie’s chest sank with relief, right as amusement infused his voice. “That man was coming onto you and she alerted me to it.”
Charlie felt very grateful for years of driving experience, because Nick’s resonance did some kind of backflip next to him. “Really? ”
Charlie reached his own resonance out like a web to catch the energy of other drivers. He couldn’t do this with a lot of vampire drivers around, as it was quite rude, but all the vampires in town were at home or at the hotel. This allowed him to perhaps go a little faster than was legal and smoothly drive under a green stoplight before it flashed yellow. Meanwhile, he asked, “What did he say to you?”
“I dunno. Something about needing help with his car.”
Charlie snorted, “Nick.”
“What? ” he defended.
There’s no way this sweet boy as a crush on me, he thought incredulously. Aloud, he warned, “Don’t go anywhere alone with a man. No wonder Angela pinged me.”
An affronted sound coughed out of him before Nick cornered, “I’m alone with you.”
“Yeah, well, lucky mistake,” Charlie evaded. That blood bank visit might have truly saved him from drawing Nick out into the garden. Or to an empty hotel room.
Nick, from whom he could practically hear cogs turning in his brain. Charlie checked his mirrors to change lanes while Nick asked, “What do you mean, Angela pinged you? She didn’t have her phone out.”
Charlie sifted through his memory for something that tickled with familiarity. “Didn’t you say someone in your family is a vampire?”
“Yeah, my aunt.”
Aunt. That wasn’t close enough for a deep well of information, was it? Charlie did not speak to his aunts or uncles anymore. “Oh. Then you don’t know about resonance?”
A moment of quiet as Nick pondered, “Resonance? Maybe…what is it?”
Alas, Charlie did not catch the next stoplight. He braked to a gentle stop and let his hands drop onto his lap while he explained, “It’s a…wavelength, of sorts, that vampires can detect. You’ve probably heard people talk about ‘aura.’”
“Sure, but probably not the way you mean,” Nick replied. Charlie peeked at him, and found his attention fully trained him. Woah. Having Nick’s undivided attention might be as addictive as it was intimidating. Captain of a rugby team, indeed.
Charlie swallowed the flavour of watered down blood in his mouth and focused. “Everyone has an aura. It’s their resonance. Their energy that sort of…hovers around them or moves with their emotions. It’s mostly like a muscle, but a muscle that hits a vampire almost like a light or a sound. Vampires are more like light. Humans are more like sound, but either way, vampires can recognize one another because of it. Humans are oblivious.”
Nick drank up this information. “So…Angela…flashed a light at you, so to speak? Even through the walls of the kitchen?”
Charlie let how impressed he’d been infuse his voice. “For having two human parents, she’s a very good vampire. And if the walls suck, we can see a person like a heat signature through the walls.”
“Woah,” Nick awed. The flashing stop light drew Charlie’s attention as Nick finished, “But a room full of people…is that not, like, a lot?”
Charlie nodded and eased back up to speed. “It can be. Some vampires really hate it, but some don’t mind as much.”
“So…I have a sound?”
“Mmhm.”
“Is it loud?”
Charlie peeked at him with a warm smirk. How on earth could he explain to Nick that he felt like the sun coming out on a cold spring day? How is infatuation with Charlie had begun to feel like the flowers turning their petals up for his adoration? He settled with, “Only when you look at me.”
Nick’s expression dropped before he collapsed against the door with his eyes in his palm. “That’s embarrassing.”
“I’m flattered,” Charlie giggled.
“So, everyone in that hotel knows I have a big crush on you?”
Charlie turned into his neighborhood. If the rest of the vampires on staff knew, they didn’t care. Only the concierge teased him about it. “Only the vampires who care to pay attention. But it’s your resonance that made that guy bugger off.”
“How so?”
“Vampires have rules.”
“What rules?”
Such things weren’t exactly shared to be common knowledge between vampires and humans, aside from family members or partners sharing such information. Charlie supposed Nick would be safer if he was more aware. The first vampire tonight wouldn’t be his last. Nick was too good looking and too eager to not be taken advantage of by someone crueler than Charlie. He didn’t want to scare Nick, though, so he worked through, “Little…social etiquette rules. Like, if a vampire comes on to somebody, but that human chooses a different vampire, the first is obligated to respect it.”
He could feel Nick staring at him. Then, “I chose you.”
All right, he should have expected that. What he did not expect, was Nick adding, “But this means you chose me too?”
Charlie did not have any ready response. If he were closer to Nick’s age…
Well. When he was sixteen, he was in no fit state to be much of anything to anybody. Maybe that was their curse. Charlie couldn’t have him if they were the same, and he couldn’t have him now. Not without breaking some rules.
Perhaps all of this eased his foot off the pedal, making their progress through the neighborhood slower as he tried, “It’s complicated.”
“Why?” Nick asked mercilessly.
Charlie pointed out, “I can’t exactly claim a teenage volunteer whilst at work.”
Nick replied with a dejected, “Oh.”
Charlie slanted a piteous look at him but tested, “If you had known, you could have chosen Angela, since she was right there.”
“No, I couldn’t. Angela pinged you, right? She knows. And why can that guy hit on me but you can’t claim or whatever vampires are doing?”
Now seemed a pretty ideal time to evaporate. Perhaps Charlie understood why adults had such a difficult time communicating with teenagers. They were too smart and too reckless. Charlie didn’t want to be lumped together with the man who had wanted a drink from Nick tonight, but aloud, he couldn’t justify himself as any different. Only internally could he defend that he wanted to enjoy more than just Nick’s throat. That in another world, he might know what Nick’s hands felt like, what his weight bumping into him as they walked side by side felt like. How, if Charlie let himself explore to the fullest what his devotion towards Nick could be, that would be the end of everything.
He said none of this. His resonance picked up a presence in front of Nick’s house before he got there. “Your mum’s home.”
Nick looked slightly frustrated at their conversation ending, but he looked ahead at the blue car Charlie parked behind. She was very much present, as she unloaded groceries from it. Not one to forget his manners, or the quiet rules that dictated a vampire greet the owner of a home, he turned his lights off but kept the car running as he stepped out of the vehicle. Charlie hastily checked his shirt cuff for any red smears. He didn’t trust his anxiety to see properly in the twilight, and twisted his sleeve around just in case. He really hoped he didn’t have lint on his vest.
Nick provided the introduction, “Mum, this is Charlie.”
She extended a hand and Charlie wondered if they’d spoken of him already before. “Hello, I’m Sarah.”
He hoped he didn’t squeeze her hand too hard. “Nice to meet you.”
“Thank you for bringing him home,” she said while looking him up and down. He was glad she met him on a day he dressed up for work. Then she asked Nick, “How’d it go?”
Charlie stayed quiet for Nick to answer, “Good! My job was easy. Charlie’s not done yet.”
Sarah looked at him and he reassured, “Everyone is distracted by food, so I was able to get away for a bit.”
Sarah’s attention roamed over him again and misinterpreted his visible anxiety for his lack of a coat. On the contrary, Charlie felt warm from the inside out, finally. “You must be freezing. Before you go, Nick told me you used to attend Truham?”
Charlie would rather prefer to never talk about Truham ever again, but he nodded. Sarah elaborated, “You’re in the area, then?”
“I’m staying with my parents for now,” he confirmed, “otherwise I call London home.”
“Would you like to come over tomorrow for breakfast?”
Charlie was certain a blunt, What, must be written all over his face. Thankfully, Nick had the wherewithal to say, “Really?”
“Yes. We have time before you leave for school, and if Charlie’s schedule allows, why not?”
Charlie had been given a list of answers to that question over the years, but he didn’t need Sarah to see that. She waited for Charlie to reply. Worse, Nick’s head turned to him expectantly. “That’s really nice. I don’t want to impose.”
“You’re not. It’s an invitation.”
Charlie warily looked at Nick. Nick, who smiled softly. Like nothing would please him more than Charlie coming over. Charlie faced the dreadful, exhilarating reality that he couldn’t refuse him. “Okay. Breakfast.”
“Good,” Sarah approved, and then asked Nick to help her bring in the shopping.
Nick agreed, but not without saying to Charlie, “See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” he exhaled, quickly turning towards the driver’s side of his car before he caught himself. “Oh, here.”
He slid a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket, glad it was still there. He’d nearly forgotten that he’d arranged the paperwork for Nick’s first afternoon of service hours. Even if Nick’s crush went up in smoke, if it withered away as quickly as it had sprouted, if Charlie was left with a rosy memory of a gorgeous boy who made him feel special, he didn’t want Nick’s labour to be for nothing.
Nick took the paper from him…and Charlie felt tiny firework embers bounce off his skin as Nick’s fingers slid over his. Nick lingered to unfold and read the paper, but Charlie sank back into his car. Not wanting to be embarrassed into oblivion, he made sure to back out of the driveway successfully, and drove away to the main road once more. At the stoplight, he properly took a moment to just…explode. Flapping his hands and yelling at his steering wheel, he didn’t realize the driver next to him stared until the light turned green and Charlie eagerly drove away.