Closing Time

4

"Lucky me." I repeated, voice a little duller than before as I wrote up the customer's bill.

I tried to muster up a smile for the rest of the people left in the bar. I tried my best not to sound as hopeless as I felt. He wasn't going anywhere for a while. Hard to feel any good prospects about that. Even the tips he gave wouldn't work to raise my mood.

I didn't make anymore conversation with Lou up until the last regular left shortly before midnight. Once they were all gone, I grabbed the bottle of scotch and dragged my stool over to where Lou was. He smiled as I sat down in front of him. "Well, that's a pleasant surprise. I didn't have to say anything."

"I learn fast." I growled out, truly feeling like a broken dog.

"Interesting." I refilled his glass. "How was your day, Ryleigh?"

"Better without you in it."

"Ouch. You hurt me so much, Ryleigh."

"The amount of fucks I give about that are astronomically non-existent."

"That's a lot of big words for you."

I raised an eyebrow. "You calling me stupid, Lou?"

"Not at all." He smirked and took a sip. "You've just not been very... eloquent with me."

"That's a fairly complicated word for you, Lou."

He laughed. "You calling me dumb, Ryleigh?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"Well, that's rude." Lou's eyes sparkled with mirth as he faked a frown. "I have been nothing but a gentleman to you."

"Sure, you have." I absently tapped the table. "Scare me to the point of passing out the first day, barge your way in the next, order me around like a dog, and threaten the only people I care about and who care about me before leaving. Very, very gentlemanly behaviour on your part, Lou."

"Well, when you put it like that." He mumbled against his glass.

"In fact..." My tapping stopped as I looked up at him. "You're not a gentleman."

He sighed. "You've got your point across, Ry-"

"You're not a man at all." I cocked my head. "You're not human, Lou... if that is even your name. What are you?"

"Now, we're getting somewhere." He chuckled. He forward and placing his chin in his palm. "I'm surprised you didn't ask me this earlier."

"I thought you were a vampire for a while." I paused as he grimaced. "But then I realised I don't really have much knowledge of cold supernatural... beings."

"First of all," he raised a finger "I'm not cold most of the time. And second of all, I can't believe you called me a vampire. I do not want to be even mistakenly associated with those cold, stinking creeps."

I felt my jaw drop open. "Vampires are real?" I squeaked.

"Of course, they are." He paused to take a sip. "Most of them are stinking rich, and masquerading as socialites who have early mysterious deaths where no bodies are found and then they resurface years later- still looking the same, still as popular." He waved a hand to gesture around the place. "They wouldn't even glance at this place if they were passing by."

"That's a relief." I exhaled loudly.

"Why?" He leaned forward again, a teasing tone in his voice. "Am I too much for you to handle?"

"More than enough." I moved back from him. I'm not having any of that seductive shit. Though I will not deny he still smells nice. "And I still don't know what you are."