FicWad

In A Darkened Room
By Mishi

Chapter 15
The Prefect Man

Maire awoke to the sound of the alarm, but couldn’t move on account of Touya’s arms, which were wrapped around her waist. His face was buried between her breasts and her own arms seemed to be holding his head in place. As if that weren’t bad enough, her leg was thrown over his hip giving him the ability to get as close to her body as possible. With the leg that was pressed straight against his body, she could feel the hardness of his sex, which made her squirm all the more.

“Touya, you can’t tell me you don’t hear the alarm going off,” she insisted trying to pull his arm from around her waist. He whimpered and rolled her on top of him, so she would be close enough to the clock to turn off the alarm. When the alarm was quiet, he rolled her back to her side and buried his face between her breats once more. She giggled and said, “I do have to get up and take a shower now.”

“Can I sleep while you do that?” He requested speaking into her breasts, making the words a little harder to hear.

“Will you stop and come out of there!” She giggled again, slapping him on the back.

“I’ve found a little piece of heaven here on earth and you’re trying to force me out of it. I see how you are,” he teased looking up at her.

“I have to get dressed in here, so you’ll have to go out on the couch and sleep.”

“You’re heartless! Ugh…alright, I’ll get up,” he grumbled. Before giving up her chest for the day, he kissed each breast and nuzzled between them, saying, “Goodbye my lovelies.”

“Oh good Lord, you’re too much!” She giggled, throwing her hand over her eyes.

He smiled at her reaction and got off the bed. “So, if I make you breakfast, will you have time to eat it?”

She stopped her giggle fit and looked at him in amazement. “You cook?”

“Yeah, I just don’t get the chance to do it very often. Will you have the time to eat?”

“If I hurry. I have some artificial eggs in the fridge if you want to make some omelets.”

“Artificial egg?”

“I’m allergic to real eggs,” she answered crawling from the bed and making the dash to gather her clothes for the day.

“Sure, I can make an omelet,” he said and headed for the door.

She sat her clothes on the bed and went for underwear. “I have cheese and ham in the meat drawer.”

“Then ham and cheese it is,” he said leaving her to finish her morning routine.

She watched him close the door, and then looked down at her clothes. ‘He’s going to be in my kitchen while I take a shower. I’ll be naked and he’s right there.’ She stopped thinking and shook her head to clear it, ‘I can’t start thinking like that or I’ll do something I’ll regret later.’ She looked at the clock and reminded herself she was in a hurry. Leaving the clothes where they sat on the bed, she stripped off the items she had slept in and tossed them in the hamper, and then dashed into the bathroom for her shower.

His first task once out of the bedroom was to close the blinds. The bedroom had been bright, but the light of both windows made the living room unbearable. After closing them, he went to the fridge, which was next to the sink and counter on the outside wall, and looked for the artificial egg she had told him about. He was curious to read the side of the carton, because he had never encountered it before; Bethany had always preferred real eggs, and since that was who he had been cooking for he hadn’t argued. When he was finished reading, he put the carton back in the fridge for the time being and turned to the meat drawer. He found the ham and a package of shredded cheddar cheese. He took out the ham and placed it on the bar while he looked for a cutting board he had been sure he had seen her use before. During his search, he also found the pan he would be cooking the omelet in, which was in the drawer on the bottom of the stove, and her non-calorie cooking spray in one of the cabinets above the sink.

He had everything he needed to get started, so he began with cutting two slices of ham into tinny squares. The room was quiet as he worked and he could hear the water from the shower. To his annoyance something as simple as running water was enough to set his imagination ablaze. He could see the suds running over her soft round breasts, and the shampoo she was rinsing from her hair wash down her back and over her rear end. He felt a sharp pain and his mind snapped back into reality just in time for him to see the cut in his finger close. There wasn’t even blood on the knife, but he decided to get a new one just to be safe.

Returning to the cutting board with the new knife, he mumbled, “Have I turned into a walking hard on? Damn, Touya, get a grip!” He finished cutting up the ham-careful not to cut himself again-and turned back to the fridge for the rest of the ingredients.

“This would taste better cooked in butter,” he thought out loud as he looked at the non-calorie spray. “I wonder if she would get mad if I didn’t use the spray? Maybe I should ask her,” he trailed off heading for the bedroom door, but stopping himself in mid-stride and turned around. “No, I will not walk in on naked girlfriend. That would be bad.” He turned on the stovetop and sprayed the skillet. “I’m sure she bought the spray because she would prefer that. I should stay in the kitchen and cook breakfast, I do not need to see her naked. And I am honestly talking to myself like a fucking psycho…Christ Almighty kill me now! Maybe I should just punch myself in the balls and get it over with.”

He stepped back from the skillet to get the artificial egg mixture and took a deep breath. He shook his head and let it out slow. After pouring the egg mixture in the skillet, he returned it to the fridge and took up his station in front of the stove. With his left arm around his waist and his right arm bent so he could have his index finger parallel to his lips, he stood thinking and nibbling at his index finger.

‘There has to be a reason I’m this bad off. I’ve never been this out of control before. It’s like I’ve not had sex in decades,’ he thought. Letting his mind ponder deeper into that thought he concluded, ‘Maybe that’s my problem. Damn, when was the last time I was with someone?’ He began playing with his bottom lip, and took the arm from around his waist so he could shake the skillet to test the mobility of the artificial egg with in. It was just letting go of the sides of the pan, and moving freely on the surface, which told him the egg was ready to flip. With a quick movement of his arm, the egg jumped from the pan and landed on its uncooked side. He turned to get the ham and the cheese, so he could place them on the cooked surface of the artificial egg. He used a fork to fold the omelet in half and quickly looked for a plate to put it in. All the while his mind worked, trying to remember how long it had been since his last lover.

He left the omelet sitting on the bar as he returned the ham and cheese to their proper places. He poured her a glass of milk, and then he rummaged through the fridge to see what he might have for himself. He found apples in the crisper and apple juice on the door, which suited him just fine. He sat out his apple and went for a glass. After pouring his juice, he returned it to the fridge and took a place at the bar. He stared at her omelet and thought, ‘Monica was the last one I was with. That had to be sixty years ago. Wow, I was still hanging out with Thomas in London back then. I can’t believe I hadn’t found anyone in the States until now.’

He heard the hairdryer shut off and expected to see her exit the bedroom a moment or two later, when she didn’t he got up from his seat and walked to the door. He knocked on the bedroom door and called, “Ma-chan, are you almost ready…your food is getting cold out here.”

“Oh…sorry…I’ll be out in a few minutes,” she called back.

He looked at the door knob and asked, “How mad would you be if I opened this door right now?”

“I don’t think I would be mad, but I would be really embarrassed. I’m only wearing my under clothes,” she admitted nervously.

He closed his eyes and put his head against the door. “Sometimes it’s better if you just lie to me, Maire.”

“Sorry, I’ll try to work on that, but I don’t like to lie.”

“Some lies are good…they help us keep order in our lives.”

“Is this better?” She asked opening the door after a long moment wearing her red and white, vertical striped hoodie, jeans and white vinyl shoes.

“That really depends on how you want to look at it,” he laughed sarcastically. Running his hand through his hair he said, “Come and eat your breakfast.”

He led her to the bar; picking up her plate when he got there, he walked around the bar and headed for the microwave, which was seated on top of a small table next to where the bar met the wall. He gave her omelet a good zap and handed it back to her. “That should be warm enough. You shouldn’t even notice it got cold,” he assured her.

“Where’s yours?” She asked looking at his apple and juice.

“Protein, remember? I have problems eating it,” he reminded her taking a bite of the apple.

“Why can you have carbs, but not protein?” She asked cutting the omelet. “Oh…can I have the ketchup?”

He nodded and turned to fish it out of the refrigerator door. Sitting the bottle down in front of her, he answered, “It’s a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo that takes initials behind your name to understand. Thomas has this friend that is fascinated by this sort of stuff…”

“Wait, who’s Thomas?” She asked confused, talking around the bit of food in her mouth.

“He’s by best friend. Sorry, I’ll tell you about him sometime. But, yeah, he knows this guy and he tried to explain it to me once.” He stopped to take a bite of his apple. After taking a moment to chew and swallow, he continued, “Basically, carbs breakdown a lot easier in the body than proteins do. And fiber doesn’t break down much at all, so it’s nothing that will harm us; it just moves right through our bodies. Proteins on the other hand take more to digest and they break down weird. We can eat them if we want to face the discomfort of our bodies trying to deal with them. Some things are worth it and some things aren’t. Like I’ll risk it every once in a while for good sushi.”

“But you don’t need to eat? The myths were right about vampires only living on blood? I mean, you can’t live on human food anymore?”

He took a drink of juice before answering, “No, I can’t. In fact, most of my kind won’t bother with food anymore. They find the after affects of eating and drinking to be foul.”

“After affects?” She asked not sure of his meaning.

“They don’t like going to the bathroom, baby,” he laughed at her.

“Oh!” She rolled her eyes, kicking herself for missing the obvious. “Ok, I’m not all that bright.”

“It had nothing to do with your intelligence, Ma-chan, it’s just you being too complex in your thinking. You were expecting some major bodily change or something weren’t you?”

“Well, now that you mention it…yeah, I was thinking something more complex than just needing to use the potty.”

“I knew it.”

“Now that my brilliance is so apparent, why do you eat?”

“I like the taste and feel of food. I’m a very tactile person. It’s like eating this apple. I love apples for the way they crunch and make you use the teeth to bite them. Then there’s the feel of flesh being pressed against the tongue and the sweet taste of the juice. It’s wonderful,” he finished taking a slow bite of the apple, making sure to look her in the eye as he tore the piece way from the core.

She was mesmerized when she responded, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at an apple again without thinking about you, and how you just explained that.”

“Good, I like knowing I’ll never be forgotten,” he said with a devilish grin.

She blushed and looked away from him. Noticing the clock on the stove she jumped up and exclaimed, “Oh no, I’m going to miss my bus!”

Touya followed after her as she headed for the bedroom to retrieve her windbreaker and purse.

“Maire, I could just drive you to St. Pat’s. I have to drive home, anyway,” he said leaning in the doorway of the bedroom.

“No, that would be bad. What would I tell everyone when they saw us together? Michael would kill me if he found out we spent the night in the same apartment, let alone the same bed,” she insisted struggling to get her arm into pink jacket.

He entered the room, and waited next to the bed. “You tell them that your new boyfriend wanted to have breakfast with you. End of story. And Michael can’t get mad at what we’ll never mention to him.”

She walked closer to him and whispered, “I didn’t think of that.” She liked how simple it sounded.

“You were thinking of everything all at once weren’t you? You have a habit of overwhelming yourself with possible outcomes. You really need to slow down and just think of the simple answer sometimes.”

“I guess I do.”

He stepped up to her and helped her remove the windbreaker. When it was off he tossed it on the bed and asked, “What time do you need to be there?”

“I have to be there at nine.”

He looked at the clock next to the bed and said, “That’s forty five minutes from now.” He pulled her closer and looked into her eyes, “I get so little time with you today, don’t deny me what little time I have left.”

Her heart was suddenly pounding as she looked into his eyes. “I’ll try to do better,” she whispered.

“I really want to kiss you, Maire,” his voice was very controlled and careful.

“You’re the only one stopping you from doing it,” she fought to get the words out.

He lowered his face to hers, and with his lips hovering above hers, he whispered, “I don’t know what will happen if I kiss you. I feel like I’m on the edge of going insane.”

“I’m making you feel all that?” She questioned unbelieving.

“You really do underestimate yourself,” he whispered wrapping his arms around her back and pressing his lips against hers.

The first few kisses were gentle, with him moving his lips slowly as he tried to coach her to move her lips with his. Then he used his tongue to brush against her lips, teasing her lips with what would soon enter between them. All the while she struggled to touch him, not knowing where to place her hands.

He sucked at her bottom lip and pulled back from the kiss. “Don’t be afraid to touch me, Maire, I want you to touch me,” he said, his voice was thick with desire.

“Did you read my mind again?” She managed to whisper.
“I read your body.”

As his lips returned to hers, she slipped her arms under his to place her hands on his back. Doing this allowed her to push her body closer to his. Lifting up on tip toes, her chest was firmly pressed against him as she gave into the kiss. It was all the encouragement he needed for his tongue to enter her mouth. His tongue slid against hers, causing things low in her body to tighten and tingle. Her legs were growing weak, and just before they threatened to give out completely; he picked her up and placed her in the middle of the bed.

With their feet dangling over the side of the bed, he laid her down on her back and took up his place beside her. He was propping himself up with his left arm, with his hand still under her back. His right hand massaged her hip, just under the hem of her hoodie and dangerously close to her rear end. Her right arm was trapped by his body and her left hand was pressed against his chest. She kissed him with greater passion. He pushed his lower body against her leg and she could feel his arousal. His free hand began to work its way up from her hip and under her hoodie.

Just before his hand could leave the jean material and find flesh, she stopped it, because she was worried that he would find blubber and not something more appealing. Breathless from the kiss she begged, “Please, don’t. I’m better with the clothes.”

“Trust me not to be shallow,” he responded looking into her eyes and moving his hand up to touch her skin. She shivered and closed her eyes. Though she wasn’t trying to stop him, she had left her hand on his wrist. He caressed her side with his smooth as silk hand until she opened her eyes again. “I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve touched so far,” he assured her, and then attacked her neck with his lips.

He was careful not to do anything that might leave bruises on her as he kissed his way from neck to ear. He returned to her lips and slowly moved his hand upward to rest at the bottom of her bra. When his thumb brushed the bottom of her breast she made a small sound and pushed his hand back. Breaking the kiss she told him, “No, I can’t. You know I can’t go any farther.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to? You’re body is telling me you’re ready. I can smell how aroused you are,” his voice was deepened by his arousal and he showed no sign of wanting to stop.

She was frantic, trying to force her mouth to get out all that needed to be said, “I can’t. You’re putting me to the test. Please, don’t do that to me. You said I could say no to you.”

He suddenly felt like a jerk. “You can, baby. I just made myself sound like a complete ass. I’m sorry; the man in me got carried away again. I told you I wasn’t sure what would happen if I kissed you.” He removed his hand from underneath her top and moved his lower body away from hers. “I didn’t scare you with my apparent stupidity, did I?” He asked in all sincerity.

“No, you didn’t scare me, but I scared me. You did have a point; there is a part of me that didn’t want you to stop, but I just can’t let that part of me win. I hope you understand.”

“I understand your reasons,” he responded lying back on the bed. He tucked both hands under his head for support and closed his eyes in an attempt to calm his body.

She pushed herself up onto her arm so she could look at him, and added, “But you don’t feel the same.”

“Isn’t that why you were sent to find me? To make my beliefs more similar to yours?”

“I can’t make your beliefs do anything. I’m supposed to be here to guide you, but I keep messing it up.”

He looked at her, “It’s not your fault that I keep pushing it a bit too far, baby.”

“Iris said you would tempt me, but I didn’t understand what she meant at the time.”

“Would understanding what she meant have stopped you from looking for me?”

“I wouldn’t have believed her if I’d understood,” she laughed nervously.

“Why, don’t I look tempting?” He asked jokingly, a confident smile spreading across his lips.

She flashed him a nervous grin and moved to sit up on the side of the bed. “I think I should go finish the rest of the nice breakfast you made for me,” she said getting up and heading for the door.

She made it to the middle of the living room before he took hold of her shoulder turned her around to face him. She would have fallen if not of his hold on her arms.

“What just happened? One minute you are fine and the next you’re running from me.”

“It’s nothing. I’m not running from you,” she said looking up into his eyes.

“Then tell me what thoughts you were having that made you get up so quick.”

She shook her head and put her hands on his chest in an effort to push him back.

“Maire, I can’t understand what your feeling, if you don’t tell me what you are thinking.”

“This is awkward for me,” she said looking down.

“Just tell me. You can tell me anything,” he assured her.

“My body’s never responded to anyone the way it does to you. I want you to touch me. I want you to desire me. I’ve had sex before, but it was like I wasn’t there. Why does your touch excite me so much? Why do I want…,” she stopped herself before she could finish the question.

He was trying to bend down and look into her eyes, but she kept avoiding him as he asked, “What…what do you want, baby? I can’t give you what you want if you don’t tell me what it is.”

“I don’t want you too. I shouldn’t ask this,” she whispered. Then she stopped avoiding him and said, “And don’t go digging around in my head. Let me have one thought that is private. Just this one!”

He straightened and pulled her close, “If that’s what you want, Ma-chan. I’ll let you have your secret.” He smoothed her hair while her body relaxed in his arms. He looked at the tiny display on the VHS/DVD combo player and said, “We only have fifteen minutes before I have to take you to the church, so if you want to finish breakfast you should do it.”

She backed up and nodded. He let her go slowly as she backed out of his arms and turned towards the bar. She took her seat as he moved to the kitchen side of the bar, and began to clean up the mess he had made when he dropped the half eaten apple on the bar in order to follow her into the bedroom.

“So how did you learn to cook?” She asked in a low voice.

He folded the damp dishrag he had taken from the sink and returned it to its former spot. “I learned when I was taking care of Bethany. Wait, you don’t know about her either, do you? I have a lot to tell you, I guess,” he smiled sitting down at the bar. “Bethany is a girl I took in about two years ago. Technically she’s my Groupie, but I don’t use her for that purpose. I just told Andrew she was my Groupie to keep her safe. Allison’s hinted that she’s told you about Andrew.”

“Yeah, she told me,” she confirmed finishing off her omelet. “Allison also told me about Bethany. She’s the prostitute you saved…the one with the child?”

“That’s right, she has a daughter. Anyway, she wasn’t a good cook and was lousy at taking care of herself, so I took up cooking for her. I guess we were both lucky I was good at it and I like doing it. I don’t do the dishes, though,” he said picking up her plate and taking it to the sink.

“It figures, you were almost the perfect man,” she laughed and finished her milk.

“Ah, but I make up for it in other ways! You just need to give me time to show you everything I can do,” he gave her a wicked grin, and then took the glass from her and looked at the clock on the stove. “I guess I better be getting my boots on.”

She turned to watch him glide round the couch to pick up the boots and then plop down to put them on. “Touya,” she said softly getting up from the barstool to join him on the couch.

“Humm?” He looked up from his boot as his foot slid into it.

“What was St. Francis like?” She sat down next to him, with her body turned as much towards him as possible and her hands resting on her lap.

He thought about it for a second and smiled. “He was a good man, Ma-chan. He was kind and took the Word of God very seriously.” He reached for her hand and stood up, taking her with him. “Get your jacket, you’re going to be late,” he told her leading toward the bedroom door.

“That can’t be all. You have to tell me more than that,” she complained letting go of his hand to enter the room on her own.

“You really want to go into this now?” He asked putting on his own coat.

She returned from the bedroom to face him beside the couch, and replied, “We have the entire drive to St. Pat’s to talk about it.”

“Ok, if that’s what you want to talk about. But I want you to do something for me.”

“What?”

“Give me the key to your apartment, and tell me what time I should pick you up tonight,” he requested holding out his hand for the key.

She looked at him with a face that matched her confusion. “Why do you need my apartment key?”

“I’m going to have Bethany do your laundry for you. If I’m right, you won’t have time to do it tonight, will you?”

“I close tonight, so I’ll be working too late to do it…yeah, your guess is right. I don’t think I can ask someone I don’t know to do my laundry for me, though.”

“She works for me, so it’ll be fine. It’ll be one more job she does for me. I pay her well enough that she won’t mind doing it, baby.” He pushed his hand at her again, insisting on the key.

She dug in her purse and pulled it out. It took a moment of though, but she finally placed it in his hand. “We will not make this a habit,” she said sternly walking past him to the door.

“Maire, don’t forget your cell phone,” he reminded her disconnecting it from the charger for her. “Do you have a contract on this old thing?”

“Yes, it’s up in December. Are you trying to avoid talking about St. Francis?”

He gave her a wicked grin and replied, “Maybe…but I was also thinking that I could get you a new phone.”

“You are so devious, you know that? What am I going to do with you? I don’t have any problems with that phone, Touya,” she said taking the phone from him and placing it in her purse.

“I can think of several things you can do with me, but you’ll end up blushing if I tell you,” he teased.

She opened the door and said with laugher in her words, “We are going to walk out this door and you are going to tell me about St. Francis, you perv! Do you understand me?”

“Oh, I like it when you get tough. Yes, Mistress, anything you say.”

“Oh Lord!” She threw her hand over her eyes and her face turned bright red.

He laughed as he started to walk past her, stopping to leave a kiss on her forehead, and saying, “Alright, I’ll stop and play nice now.” He stood in the dimly lit hallway and coached her out of her doorway. She peeked at him through her fingers as he said, “Come on. Seriously, I’ll tell you about Francis and be a good boy.”

Not completely trusting him to be a “good boy” she prepared herself for the next bit of teasing and locked up her apartment. He took her hand and they walked in silence down the dingy yellow hallway to the elevator.

“He hated the language,” Touya said as the elevator doors opened. “It seemed no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t learn Japanese to the extent he desired. It made things difficult for him.” They stepped inside and the doors closed leaving them surrounded by four brown steel walls. He pushed the button for the ground floor and continued, “I didn’t understand how terrible that could be until I was alone wondering through Europe. It didn’t matter where I went, I couldn’t understand what people were saying and they couldn’t understand me. It was a very frustrating experience.”

“There wasn’t anyone who could help him?”

“He tried to talk in other languages, but that only helped to a small extent. Japan was still fairly isolated in a lot of ways. He didn’t let it stop him, though. He struggled to teach us the catechism, which he had learned in Japanese. He helped the poor of the village near our home. He was a very patient man,” he finished as the doors opened.

He cringed when he came into the florescent lighting of the open lobby with its black and white tiled floor and wood paneled walls.

“Is the light hurting your eyes?” She asked.

“Florescents always hurt…and it’s sunny outside, so it will be worse in a sec. I’ll be fine once I get to the car, though; I’ve got sunglasses in the glove box,” he said walking ahead of her to get the door, which lead out of the building.

Once outside, they made their way across the street to the shinny black convertible. Despite his discomfort, he took the time to unlock her door and hold it open for her. With her in place, he walked round to the driver’s side and found that she had unlocked it for him. Immediately, after getting in the seat he went for the sunglasses.

The sunglasses were instant relief. After putting them on, he sighed and let his head fall back against the head rest.

“Better?” She asked lifting her hand to move the hair back from his face.

He turned his head to face her and answered, “Much. I have a headache, but at least I can see.”

“Is there anything I can do about the headache?”

“I can’t digest painkillers and we don’t have time for you to massage my temples,” he thought aloud while starting the car. “I’ll be in a little pain as long as I’m in the sunlight. My eyes are too sensitive for it. I guess to get out of the sun would be the best thing. I’ll be fine once I get home, so don’t worry about it.”

“I feel bad about making you go out during the day. I should have made you stay in my apartment.”

He checked the street and pulled out of the space. “I have to go home, baby. I do go out in the day occasionally…that’s why I have these in the car,” he explained tapping the sunglasses with his finger. “Don’t dwell on it. I’ll be fine in a little while.”

She watched him drive for a moment, then asked, “What was it like the first time you met St. Francis?”

“More on that topic, huh? Ok, well this might be hard to believe, but I was a very arrogant young man,” he replied with a wide smile.

“You don’t say,” she gave a slight laugh.

“I know, hard to believe, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t have guessed it.”

“I guess you could also say I was spoiled. I didn’t think there was anything in the world left for me to see or do. But the first time I saw him it felt like I had been hit in the face with everything I lacked. He had humility and patience. He had a look of joy as he preached. And I swear the man glowed with it,” he chuckled. For a moment he was quiet, thinking about what he would say next. His face darkened and his voice was sad as he continued, “There was one thing that I saw in his eyes that I wanted more than anything. The man was content. I had everything, but wasn’t happy with it. I wanted to be content with life. I wanted to be as sure as he was. So I looked at his painting of Mary and listened to him preach from the catechism. It didn’t take long for him to convince me that I needed to be baptized.”

He downshifted and came to a stop at a red light. He took his hands off the wheel and rubbed them against the tops of his thighs. “I haven’t talked about any of this in a long time, Maire. I guess I had forgotten how painful it could be to talk about it.”

“I’m sorry it’s painful. Is it because you feel betrayed by God that makes it so painful, or is it something else?”

“That was the happiest time of my life. I’ve not known another time when I can say I’ve ever been happy. It was taken from me and I feel pretty bitter about it. I guess that’s the thing that makes it painful.”

“What if you could have it back?” She whispered as she reached out to put her fingers in his hair and massage the back of his neck. She wasn’t sure he would enjoy what she was doing, but she wanted to make an effort to sooth him somehow.

He returned his left hand to the wheel and shifted the Mustang into gear with his right. “I can’t have that back. I’ll never be that naive again. I’ve killed, Maire. You see the world differently when you’ve taken human life.”

“You can be forgiven for the lives you’ve taken, Touya. There’s nothing about you that’s malicious, and you are sorrowful about what you’ve done.”

“And what priest will hear my confession? ‘Forgive me Father, I’m a vampire and I’ve killed a few humans along my way.’ Yeah, I can see that happening,” he snickered letting his sarcastic side get the better of him.

“God will find a way. He wouldn’t have brought us together, if he didn’t have something in mind for you,” she smiled confidently.

“If you say so,” he said flatly. Taking a moment to change his mood, he whispered, “I like what you’re doing with your hand, by the way.”

“Oh, good…I was so afraid that you weren’t enjoying it.”

“It’s probably just what I needed you to do. I was starting to get a little tense, and what you’re doing is very calming.” He had just turned on to 19th Street, and found traffic backed up from the light on Poplar.

“You’ll need to drive me around to the parking lot in back. Though, I’m tempted to have you drop me off in front to avoid all the questions.”

“Oh, come on, let’s live dangerously. I know how church hens like to gossip,” he teased with an evil grin.

“Not all of us are like that.”

“But some are.” Traffic started to move and he made it to the light so he could turn onto Poplar. “I noticed something about last night. You actually slept peacefully all night. I don’t recall you having a problem the entire time you were in my arms.”

“Now that you mention it, I do feel rested. Maybe I just need you to make me feel safe while I sleep. I guess that means you should stay over more often.” He had turned onto the street that ran beside the church and she noticed the parking lot entrance coming up on the right. “It’s coming up right here,” she pointed it out so he wouldn’t miss it.

“I don’t think me spending the night will be a problem,” he assured her as he pulled to a stop next to the old garage.

She had already taken her hand away from his neck and was working on her seat belt.

“Do I get a kiss goodbye?” He asked as he turned his body towards her in his seat.

She looked out the window to see that the kitchen staff was already ogling the Mustang, then turned to him and answered, “That depends on if you can kiss me without causing a scandal.”

“No scandal…I cross my heart,” he assured her taking the time to cross his heart with his fingers.

She leaned forward to surrender her lips and he greeted her with his. His lips were like cool silk and they moved gently against hers. He was careful not to touch her body in any other way, so that the kiss would speak for itself. It broke her heart at how tender it was. When he finally pulled away she realized she wasn’t ready to let him go for the day.

“Was that acceptable?” He asked softly.

She touched his cheek with her hand and responded, “You just broke my heart.”

“I wanted to make sure you thought of me during the day.”

“You did a good job. I won’t be able to think of anything else.”

“You better go, the natives are growing restless,” he commented nodding his head towards the garage. “The speculation has already begun.”

“Do I want to know what they are saying?” Taking her hand away from his face, she lowered her head and closed her eyes.

“It’s nothing all that bad at the moment. But the longer you stay in the car, the worse it might get.”

“Ok, you’re picking me up at work, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there at eight thirty.”

After saying goodbye, she turned away from him and got out of the car. She watched him drive out of sight before heading inside.