The elevator ride to the 26th floor was quiet. My heart was still beating like a drum in my chest, and I was acutely aware of his eyes on me. His gaze left a trail of goosebumps on my exposed skin, and I fought to keep the chills at bay.
“Are you sure you’re alright ?” His voice was like honey, covering my senses in a pleasant mood. I cleared my throat for what felt like the millionth time, stealing a few glances at him.
“I’m okay!” I nodded, strands of my hair escaping my twist and covering my eyes. He reached forward with one hand, tucking the stray hairs behind my ear. This time, there was no holding the shivers back.
“You shouldn’t be out alone at this time of night.” He admonished, his eyes never leaving mine.
“I was out with my friends. The restaurant wasn’t that far away, I thought I could just walk back.”
“Any special occasion?” He inspected my dress inquisitively, his eyes darkening as he swept his gaze over my exposed legs.
“My birthday, actually.” I smiled, remembering the wonderful time I spent with my friends before everything went downhill.
He chuckled softly. “Well then, happy birthday…”
“Nova,” I finished for him, realizing he didn’t know my name.
“Happy birthday, Nova.” He extended a hand for me to shake. “I’m Lucien.”
“I know! Nice to meet you, Lucien.”
“You know?” He quirked a perfectly shaped eyebrow at me, his dark eyes bright with curiosity. My heartbeat quickened as I realized what I said, and my mouth dropped open for a second before I started rambling.
“Some of your mail got mixed up with mine a few months ago, and I saw your name on the envelope. That’s how I knew.”
“Right.” Lucien nodded, still looking at me like I was some oddity he found both fascinating and disturbing. I didn’t know if it was his gaze or the drinks I had prior, but somehow I couldn’t just leave it at that, and before i knew it, I decimated my chances with my hot neighbor.
“I actually wanted to look you up because I was curious, but I couldn’t find anything about you. It’s 2023 and somehow you don’t have an Instagram or a Facebook page or anything, not even a LinkedIn account. You’re a complete mystery.” I giggled to myself, distinctly aware of the amusement that replaced the curiosity in his eyes. His lips quirked into a sexy smirk, and I had to physically turn away from him to keep talking. The elevator doors opened, and he motioned for me to exit first. I took a few steps forward, feeling his presence right behind me as we walked down the carpeted hallway towards our apartments. “No online presence along with the fact that I’ve never seen you outside during the day or seen you eat or drink anything, and I came to a logical or illogical conclusion.”
“And what is that?” Lucien’s voice took on a thick edge, his tone was low and deep it vibrated through my core. His eyes were still on me as he leaned against his door, keys dangling from his fingers. I stared at him, feeling lost in his onyx eyes.
“You’re a vampire.”
I expected him to laugh. Hell, I would have even understood if he called me crazy or told me that I was too drunk to function. Instead, he just kept staring at me, deep black eyes looking into the depth of my soul. His lips were painted with a hint of a smile that soon disappeared as he turned his back on me, keys turning in his lock.
“Good night, Nova.” Lucien closed his door behind him, leaving me standing there in the hallway, drowning in my own shame.
“What the hell is wrong with me?” I whispered to myself, staring at his closed door. That was the first conversation I had with the hottest guy I had ever seen, and the only thing I could say to him _after he had saved my life_ was that I thought he was a vampire. I whined as I grabbed my keys, slamming my door shut in frustration. I took my heels off and threw them across the living room, making a beeline for the shower.
It was about thirty minutes later that I exited my bathroom. My skin was raw from all of the scrubbing I put it through in a desperate attempt to erase all remnants of their touch from my arms. My hair was dripping wet, and my head was pounding. I grabbed my pyjamas from the closet, hurriedly changing out of my wet towel. As soon as I was done drying my hair, I went to grab my phone from my purse when I paused in confusion. My phone, along with all of my credit cards, some cash, my keys, and some expensive makeup were all in my purse. And yet, when I was attacked earlier, one of the men said there was nothing in there. If they didn’t plan on robbing me, why did they make it look like they wanted what was in my purse? And who was ‘he’? One of them said something about someone wanting me. Who were they talking about? And how did Lucien get there? I didn’t notice anyone walking down the street when they were holding me. How did he appear out of thin air? I was too distracted back then by fear, I didn’t register the way Lucien held the man that attacked me by his neck like he weighed nothing. He dangled him away from the ground and threatened to tear him apart for touching me. The man in the alley was not light by any means. He was at least a foot taller than me, with muscular arms and broad shoulders, yet Lucien threw him around like a doll.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, willing the memories to disappear. I couldn’t dwell on what happened any longer, I had already embarrassed myself enough as it was. Lucien saved me tonight, and as a thank you, I accused him of being a bloodsucking monster. I went back to the front door, punching in my code and setting the alarm.
“He must think I’m insane,” I said as I made my way to my room. I made sure the latch on my window was closed before hitting a button on the remote by my nightstand. I watched as the curtains closed slowly, hiding the late night city view from my sight.
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Fated
الخيال (فانتازيا)"Lucien kissed me as if he was starving, as if he was desperate, as if he was a sinner, and my lips held the keys to his salvation. His hands snaked under his coat, exploring my body like he was on a mission, like my skin had the answer to all of hi...
