Vanessa felt like she was on top of the world getting ready for her and Talon's date tonight, especially after the kiss they shared in the coffee shop. She'd been thinking about doing it for weeks, wishing that he would make the move and finally kiss her. But when she looked at him in the coffee shop, with her drink in hand before she had even ordered, she couldn't hold herself back.
It's been a while since Vanessa felt like someone actually cared for her. Between the constant yelling from her manager Jeffrey and her not having any living family left, Vanessa couldn't help but feel alone in this world and things were starting to get lonely and depressing in this tiny little apartment.
Vanessa looked around and noted the lack of decorations on the walls. She really had put no effort in to make this place feel like home because she hadn't planned on being here longer than a few months. There were no pictures on the walls, no decorations on the mantle above the fireplace. The bare minimum lined the apartment. A couch to watch the TV, a few side tables for her drinks, with matching lamps on each to keep it even. A small rug was in the open space between the mantle and the couch, and Vanessa hated the blue and white swirls that speckled the material.
Her seating area near the balcony was more put together, with a tiny succulent that Vanessa couldn't remember whether it was fake or not.
Vanessa leaned over and plucked a tiny leaf from the plant and rolled it between her fingers letting the sticky insides spread across her skin.
"Dull, dry and ready to die." She muttered to herself as she felt bored with the life around her.
Talon felt like a new spark, something to bring joy to her world, something that she was both terrified of and curious to get to know more about. She needed to know more, but something in the back of her mind was scared of him. She just wished she could pinpoint what it was that made him so peculiar to her.
Vanessa used her hand to count the times she'd seen Talon. Remembering each of their dates so far, but as she got stuck on date number three, she could have sworn she'd seen him more than that. She wasn't counting the coffee shop, because who knows how many times she's seen him there and not even realized it. Maybe that's what freaked her out? Was he watching her while she would mindlessly work while sipping on her mocha?
"No, I've seen him somewhere else, but where was it?" Vanessa whispered to herself. She jumped from the chair she sat in and went to look at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was pulled back in a high pony, putting tension on the skin around her hairline. She wore a light tee shirt, with a minty denim jacket over top and some yoga pants. Her white sneakers finished the look and Vanessa was prepared to go for a walk through the park. Checking the time on her phone, she noticed Talon should be there any minute. Vanessa grabbed her mascara and put on one more layer, finally feeling like herself after getting all the smeared makeup off her face from earlier today. A small tinge of embarrassment washed over her at the idea of leaving the house looking like a mess.
Before Vanessa could even take another breath, there was a knock at her door. She jumped, startled by the sound, but once she reoriented herself, she rushed over and opened the door.
"You made it." Vanessa smiled, matching the energy that was on Talon's beaming face.
"You look amazing!" Talon practically purred, closing the distance between the two of them to plant a kiss on her lips. Vanessa felt so small in his arms, wrapped up and protected. When Talon separated from her, Vanessa found herself wanting more, and for a moment she thought about pulling him in and kissing him all night instead of going for a walk.
"Are you ready to go?" She muttered instead.
The view was dreamy. The sun was setting in the distance and for a city park, it was pretty empty. The sun-bathers had gone away, and the nighttime crowd was just starting to show up. It felt like the couple had the place all to themselves. Talon walked with his hand in Vanessa's, swinging it gently with their steps.
The whole thing was like a movie scene.
They walked in silence, enjoying all the sights until Talon's phone broke their focus. The annoying ring blared through the whisper of the birds, leaving Vanessa more annoyed than she had expected to be.
"Hello, this is Talon." Talon muttered, answering the phone quickly after checking the caller ID. He let go of Vanessa's hand, pulling away and taking a few steps off the pathway. Vanessa froze, feeling worried about the phone call, especially based on Talon's mannerisms towards it.
"What! Is everything okay?" Talon sounded panicked. Vanessa took a seat on a bench that was nearby, watching carefully as Talon ran his hands through his hair. She could barely hear him from over here, but caught just enough of the conversation to know that their date was about to end.
When Talon hung up the phone, he took a deep breath, ran his hands over his face, and then turned to meet back up with Vanessa.
"I'm so sorry. I've got to get back home to take care of my mother." Talon whispered, looking down at the ground, kicking at the dirt.
"What's wrong with your mother?" Vanessa asked. She mentally begged him to look up at her so she could catch those beautiful eyes of his.
"She's been sick for a while and she's fighting with her caretaker. I need to get home and help settle her. I'm so sorry to cut our date short." Talon shook his head, and if Vanessa hadn't been paying attention, she may have missed how his eyes glazed over. She hunched down, trying to get a better look at his face.
"Can I go with you?" Vanessa asked, shocking even herself. Talon finally looked up. His eyes danced around her face for a moment, as if he was thinking about the idea. Vanessa's heart dropped when she caught him shaking his head no. She'd wanted to use today to redo their last date, and now she felt so out of control.
"Ugh, what the hell? Are you sure you want to come meet my mother?" Talon muttered. He nervously ran his hand through his hair once more. Vanessa didn't want to seem too eager, so she stopped herself from nodding. She wasn't sure why she wanted to go, but anything with Talon was better than sitting in her apartment alone for yet another long, boring night.
"Yes, I'd like to go with you."
"Alright then, let's head back to my house."
Vanessa was thankful for the car ride to Talon's house. She needed some time to rest before jumping into the nerve wrecking situation of meeting his mother, especially after they basically sprinted back to his car.
Talon didn't waste any time after he pulled the car into the driveway. Before Vanessa could take anything in, the ignition was off; the door was open, and Talon was already working on unlocking the front door. She didn't want to leave his car exposed, so she took a minute to look around and check to make sure he didn't leave the keys before closing and locking both doors.
Vanessa walked up to the front door slowly. She wasn't sure what she was walking into on the other side of that threshold, especially since Talon was so quick to get into the house. Inside the home, she could hear some shouting. It didn't sound dangerous, but left her feeling even more nervous as she slipped her shoes off and took steps across the wooden entryway. She stopped briefly to take in the family photos that lined the wall.
"Talon?" she muttered, but her voice was barely a whisper from the clamoring of noises. Vanessa followed the voices, every step more gingerly done than the last.
After what felt like ages, she was able to peek around the corner into a large living room.
An older woman was sitting on the floor in the room's corner. Vanessa couldn't see much of the woman's face, but knew by the momentary glimpses of her that she looked just like Talon. Talon and a short brunette haired girl were towering over her.
"No! No! Tell the monster to go away!" The woman shook her head, trembling in her own skin. Vanessa wanted to help, but she didn't know what to do, so she stayed hidden around the corner, watching as closely as she could from her protected spot.
"What monster, Momma?" Vanessa heard Talon's soft voice try to comfort his mother. But Vanessa realized it was comforting her as well. She hadn't noticed how hard her heart was racing until she was able to take a deep breath.
"The monster over there!" Talon's mother let out a horrid scream, pointing in the direction of the short-haired girl trying to help. "Get that tiny little bastard out of here! You really don't see the little shadow in the corner?"
"Mother, you are having another episode. She's not a monster. She's your caregiver for the night." Talon tried to keep his cool, holding himself in such a manner that shocked Vanessa. She knew she could never be that calm. Then suddenly it clicked, and the pieces started to fall together. Is this why Talon was so calm when they drove through the fog storm?
Vanessa remembered how gentle he was with her when she was having her own mental episode. She wasn't sure why it had scared her so badly, but Talon was the strength she needed to pull herself out of the panic. As she watched him closely, she noticed he was doing the same for his mother.
After almost an hour, Talon could finally get his mother settled and off to bed. Vanessa was now sitting on the couch, trying to stay out of the way without being too weird. She fidgeted with her phone, but since she could not focus on anything but Talon, she was really just unlocking the screen, allowing it to go dark again, before unlocking it once more.
Once Talon joined her on the couch, she could finally settle into the uncomfortable cushions.
"How did getting your mom down go?" Vanessa asked.
Talon shifted awkwardly on the couch, pulling his phone out of his pocket and flicking through some of the apps.
"Do you want to just order a pizza and watch some movies? I don't want my mother's outburst to ruin our date." He ignored the question, and Vanessa would not push it any further. If he didn't want to talk, she couldn't make him.
"Yes, as long as you're not one of those pineapple weirdos."
Talon cocked her a weird glance, only catching her features for a second before he turned back to the delivery app. "Ew, no gross." Talon muttered.
Vanessa could feel he was still distant, and she wasn't sure if she had messed something up by not jumping in to help with his mother. Talon ordered the pizza, and the couple searched through a few different streaming services until they settled on a cop comedy.
A few hours into the night, with the pizza already devoured and the first movie long over, Vanessa realized Talon had drifted to sleep, his head nuzzled on her shoulder. She loved the feeling of his hair tickling her neck, and the weight of his body curled up in her arms. Vanessa settled in, expecting to stay here for the night, or at least until Talon woke up and kicked her out.
The next movie that had come on wasn't anything like the first. It was pure romance, filled with passion and drama. Vanessa tried her hardest to stay invested, for fear that if she too fell asleep, she'd not know how she'd react.
"Vanessa." A whisper drifted through the air. Vanessa's heart threatened to jump out of her chest, but when her eyes caught the little dark creature in the room's corner, her heart froze instead. The sound of her name still lingered in her mind. Her eyes couldn't look away from the sight. She observed it cower in the corner, not making any sudden movements, but just enough that Vanessa knew it was breathing. She could see the figure expand and exhale with every shallow breath it took. Vanessa shook her head, trying to get the creature out of her mind, but there was no use.
Panic started to set in Vanessa's bones.
Wasn't that the same thing Talon's mother had seen?