No. Hes my best friend.
I was shocked. Alexander spoke so little about himself and Romania, Id never heard about any friends, much less one best friend named Sebastian.
You never mentioned you had a best friend, I told him.
He never came up.
Never came up? I talk about Becky all the time.
You talk about a lot of things, he joked.
Alexander had a point. I liked to talk about every mundane thought I had during every minute of my day, while Alexander kept mum on even the most important subjects.
So how long do you think hell stay? I asked. I could only wonder what it would be like for the three of us to hang out at the cemetery, my house, or the Mansion.
Perhaps a few days.
I thought hed be here for weeks.
Sebastian? He wont want to wear out his welcome.
There was one piece of information I couldnt wait to find out.
I wanted to ask you, I whispered. Is he like you?
Sounds of banging and hammering came from inside Sebastians room. Was he, too, redecorating the Mansion?
The door creaked open and I saw Sebastian kneeling on the wooden floor, a hammer in one hand and a nail in the other. Boards peeked out of his duffel bag. It was a spookily spectacular sighthe was building a black coffin.
Alexander quickly reached for the door.
Just then we heard the locks being unlatched from the front door below.
Thatll be Jameson, Alexander said, closing the bedroomor in this case, coffin roomdoor behind him. He will have to take you home tonight.
So soon? I whined.
Its really late, actually. Even Jamesons date is over.
So what are you guys going to do? I hope youre not going clubbing.
In this town?
Or hiring escorts or something.
Alexander shot me a look.
I watch cable. I see what guys do. And these guys werent like most othersthese guys were vampires. One of you might get hungry, I inferred.
Dont worry. Im the same guy with him as I am with you, he reassured.
And with that, Alexander gave me a quick good-night peck on the cheek, a stark contrast to the passionate, long lip-lock we had just shared in the cellar.
Reluctantly, I jumped into the Mercedes and Jameson drove me at a creeping pace toward my house. I caught a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror. Reflected back was a scowl not unlike that of a four-year-old child who hadnt gotten her way.
It wasnt fair. Two guys partying at the Mansion while I had to go home to bed. If I was a vampire, Id be able to hang out with them all night and chill out during the day near them in my coffin. Id fit in and not have any reason to be excludedno longer a mere mortal with a reflection and a curfew.
I fantasized that Alexander would bite me and take me into his exciting and mysterious darkened world. It had been a dream of mine to become a vampire long before Id even met him. But now that I was dating a vampirethis particular vampiremy broad childhood desire about joining the Underworld had morphed into a specific desireto be turned by Alexander. But so far that hadnt happened. I knew in my heart that there was the possibility that Alexander might not ever turn me, that maybe we would share life side by side but separated by our two worlds. I knew the reason he hadnt bitten me was as much out of love as it would be if he had bitten me. Id fallen for the one vampire in the world who didnt put his needs above his morals. This only made me love him more. And I couldnt imagine that Alexanders fear might be rightthat I might not like being a vampire after all, that something Id desired all my life in its reality might not live up to my grandiose expectations. But how could that world be bad if I was sharing it with him?