Tom is your boyfriend?”
I gaped at him for a few seconds. Was he…jealous? I grinned, and his frown deepened. I laughed aloud. I just couldn’t help being more than a little happy.
“Peter, you’re jealous.” I was still smiling. His scowl had turned murderous.
He shrugged, and then ran a hand through his hair, messing up the dark, silky waves in a way that just made him more attractive. “I suppose I am,” he said with a rueful smile.
I laughed. “He’s not my boyfriend. Not even remotely close.”
His smile turned into a real one and he let out a dramatic sigh. I rolled my eyes. The elevator arrived and we took it down to the main floor. Peter wasn’t scowling anymore, but he was very quiet, and I wondered what he was thinking. After that awkwardness about Tom, I was afraid to ask. I wanted to know very badly just what I was to him. I sure knew what he was to me, but there was no way I was going to tell him. I couldn’t risk him freaking out and leaving. So I nurtured my secret feelings deep down inside where they weren’t liable to get me hurt.
As we strolled along the sidewalk toward the little coffee shop where I met Tom a couple times a month, it occurred to me that Peter might need some background. Brain injuries affect everyone differently. Most of my issues were physical motor issues with some memory problems and slowed thinking thrown in there just for fun. Tom wasn’t so lucky.
“Uh… Peter,” I said hesitantly. “Before we get there I just wanted to warn you; Tom can be… different. Don’t be offended by anything he says, okay?”
He glanced at me and smiled. “Of course.” I just hoped he remembered that once he met the guy.
He looked thoughtful for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice was hesitant. “I’m very happy that I get to meet your friends.” He gifted me with a dazzling smile. “I thought maybe you were… well, afraid to let me meet them.”
I gaped at him in surprise. “Why would I be afraid of letting you meet my- oh, right the vampire thing.” He grimaced and looked around, but no one was paying attention to me.
Peter shrugged. “It would be normal for you to be hesitant to be friends with me.” He shot me a glance that was half reprimand. “You trust too easily.”
I shook my head in exasperation. He sounded like my parents. “In case you haven’t noticed, nothing about me is normal.” I gestured at my chair. “If you really want to know, I haven’t introduced you to my friends because I don’t have many.”
He looked at me in surprise and I refused to meet his eyes. “After my accident, all of the people I thought were my friends kind of just… disappeared. And it’s kind of hard to make new friends when… well, you know.” I shrugged lamely and gestured at myself. It was really hard to explain how isolated I felt sometimes.
Peter was silent for a moment. I was getting worked up, so I focused on my breathing and tried to force myself to relax. Mood regulation was a bit difficult for me. I didn’t ask him why I had never met his friends. Maybe vampires didn’t have friends. Maybe his friends weren’t the kind of people I wanted to meet. After all, he had just warned me about being too trusting. But part of me knew it was probably just because I was different.
“I have been…isolated… as well recently. Though the fault is all mine for not adhering to their rules.” He gave me a wry smile. “But all the same, I understand.” I thought maybe that explained why he spent so much time with me. I mean, it’s not like I was a thrill a minute, especially for the superhuman.
The coffee shop had a patio area outdoors so people could sip their java in the sunshine. Tom was already there with one of his aides. He waved ecstatically when he saw me, drawing looks from the people around him. I waved back with a bit more restraint.
We made our way over to the table and Peter helped me transfer out of my wheelchair and into one of the cute little café chairs. He reached over the table and extended a hand to Tom, seeming unfazed by his appearance. “You must be Tom,” he said politely. “I’m Peter.”
Tom took his hand and shook it with a