by Anna Rainn
The machine was now whirring, the black liquid falling smoothly into a small cup, less fragrant that I like, but functional. I decided that maybe a dollop of milk was in order since I was having this on an empty stomach. I sidestepped to reach the small silver fridge in the kitchen corner. On the fridge was a note. I did a double take.
Had to run, hate to run, but work.
Didn’t want to wake you up.
I made you a little something. Best I could. Didn’t want to toss it.
The funny smell! My eyes shot to the microwave. On top of it rested a plate with two pieces of french toast on it, burned and cold. I moved the plate to the counter, pulled a fork and a knife out of the drawer, and tasted a bite. It was the worst french toast I have ever had. And the best.
A smile was pushing its way on my face. No, it wasn’t about Nick. I just love how much sunshine my apartment gets! I switched my laptop on, scrolled through the playlists, found the top hits playlist, and pressed play.
By noon, I was bored out of my mind. I have worked a minimum of eight hours every day for years. Then after starting Black and foam, the hours became even longer. With my café closed due to police investigations, this was my first completely free day in over a year. I didn’t have many friends, which is my way of saying that I didn’t have any friends. Of course there were college friends at some point and work colleagues, but for me, those were all temporary; they walked out of my life the moment I moved on to something new. Having a business owner for a job description didn’t help my social life much; you can’t really befriend staff when you own the place, can you? What will you do during your lunch break? Badmouth the boss?
So, after a couple of hours danced, a few pages read on my kindle, and a couple of pointless scrolls down my Netflix list, I decided I should go out! Alone, if must be.
Five minutes in the street, I regretted my decision. The heat was so excruciating even the lightweight summer dress I was wearing felt heavy on my body. Luckily, I had the sense to put my hair in a high ponytail, but a thin strand had escaped the hairband. It fell innocently over my eyes as I retreated into a shaded corner and clicked on the Uber icon on my phone. Walking to the mall was not an option, not in this weather.
The driver was thankfully fast to arrive, and the car air conditioning blissfully cool. Rush hour was long over; everybody was unhappily working at their desks by now, so the streets were empty, and I reached my destination in no time, thank you very much. I gave my silent driver five stars for not trying to murder me and slipped into the cold empty shopping haven. This day was already looking up.
I found a gorgeous yoga legging with a blue and purple galaxy pattern and a white top with the Scoops Ahoy logo innocently printed on it. The top was long and over-sized, and it had a Stranger Things theme, so it obviously belonged in my wardrobe. And then in an attempt to be adventurous, I had brunch at a new place where a cute guy in a suit tried to introduce himself, but I was out to clear my head of all things men-related, and view what happened with Nick from a fresh perspective, so he would have to stalk me and try again later if he was really interested. Okay, not really; my life was currently over its crime quota.
I was running out of things to do when my phone started ringing. My lifesaver was on the phone.
“So what exactly are we supposed to do?” I asked without saying hello.
“I know!” Caleb laughed, “I’ve already watched half the movies on my to-watch list.”
“That’s because you only have four movies on your list, Caleb, most of them produced five years ago,” I teased. It was true, though. Caleb, like me, never had time even to know what movies were popular, let alone watch any.
“Well, I am up to date on all my shows, thank you very much,” he sulked, jokingly.
“And how many are those?” I asked because I knew, because we watched the same two shows.
“Game of Thrones doesn’t count, does it?” Caleb asked.
“Nope. It is over. Deal with it.”
“Okay then, three shows,” he challenged.
Betrayal!
“What have you been watching without me?”
“I am not telling.”
“Tell.”
“Nope.”
“Caleb!”
“Fine. Chernobyl.”
Okay, I wouldn’t like to watch this one, no matter how good it was.
“That’s just bleak,” I said.
“It’s awesome,” he dared me to disagree. I almost did, but then I had a better idea.
“Hey! I am at the mall. Let’s catch a movie.”
Caleb fell silent for a few seconds. I guess it took his brain time to compute that going to the movies was an actual possibility.
“Wow,” he said.
“Yep.”
“Thirty minutes,” he said.
He was there in twenty.
Chapter 15
Caleb and I were off the Marvel wagon, I’m ashamed to admit, so the latest Marvel movie was off the table. We chose a romantic comedy with a 6.2 IMDB rating because why not. Caleb exhaled comically then went ahead with my choice. There was a higher chance of him enjoying at least parts of my choice of flick than there was any possibility of me enjoying a single minute of the action picture he would’ve rather watched. So it was fair. Oh, and my choice had a higher IMDB rating, so there was that.
The seats were good, the theatre nearly empty and the popcorn buttery and hot. Even better, I actually caught Caleb laughing a couple of times. There, I knew he would have fun.
“You like it,” I whispered.
“I don’t,” he stopped laughing immediately, but then the hero said something stupid to his wingman, and Caleb’s voice shook with another stifled laugh mid-sentence. I looked at him.
“I can see you, you know.”
He covered his mouth with his hand and looked straight ahead at the screen, pretending nothing was going on. I pulled Caleb’s popcorn bucket and popped one of the caramel flavored pieces he ordered in my mouth.
“This was horrible,” Caleb tossed our liter in the trash can on our way out.
I rolled my eyes. “I think I saw tears on your cheek at the end.”
“Tears of boredom. I think I fell asleep.”
“Maybe a second cup is due. Let’s get something to drink.”
I didn’t really need a coffee, and I don’t think Caleb did either, but there were still a few hours left before sunset, and I was reluctant to go home. I won’t be able to step outside my door under any circumstances from sunset till sunrise. Not just that, I was resenting being home at night after last night’s attack. I glanced at my phone. Nick hadn’t called all day. I wasn’t going to call first, not with our history, but maybe I should text him and ask him if there were any updates. Later, I decided.
There were no specialty coffee shops nearby, but the Starbucks at the mall was one of the better branches around. Caleb got a single shot, and I ordered a venti cold brew, I was going to need to stay alert throughout the night, and I needed all the caffeine I could get.
“How long will we stay closed?” Caleb voiced the question I hadn’t had a chance to consider. His serious business face was back on.
I sighed and shrugged, sinking into the plush velvet chair. Every day we stayed closed was a financial loss that neither Black and Foam nor I could afford. Caleb knew this as much as I did. He thankfully didn’t voice these concerns out loud, though. Instead, he cut to the practicalities that are actually in our hands.
“I will need to update socials with a closing period and maybe some additional information. Something that won’t affect business much,” he said, pulling his collar. He was wearing an actual shirt, which was a rare event. Of course with Caleb, the shirt was denim, and his usual layer of silver necklaces glowed under.
“I will ask the detectives,” I answered, putting my cold cup on the wooden table and toying with my iPhone. “today,” I finished the sentence, putting the phone away.
“Do they know anyth
ing yet?” Caleb asked.
I contemplated telling him about the vampiric angle of the mess we were into, but I remembered Nick’s rules. Caleb wasn’t just anyone; I could trust him. The reason I decided not to tell him the juicy bits is because I was afraid it would endanger him. After all, I had been attacked not once, but twice, because I had seen a vampire’s face. I don’t want to put Caleb in the same position I was in.
“They have a special consultant on the attackers’ trail. There are two of them. Some sort of gang members, apparently,” I tried to tell him everything minus the vampire bits.
“You could always count on Bianca to get involved with the worst kinds of people,” Caleb gulped his coffee.
“You think she was involved with this gang?” I asked. If it were a gang, of course it would make sense, but vampires? How possible is it that Bianca could’ve been involved with vampires, no less?
“It is possible,” Caleb said. “Why else would they kill her?”
“Maybe something accidental,” I said, knowing that it was unlikely. Nick had told me this much. Something was wrong, something made this attack happen.
“How did they know there were two attackers? You only saw one that night,” Caleb asked.
“Gang sources, I guess?” I lied.
I didn’t want to tell Caleb about the vampire at my door last night. For one thing, it would scare him, but I also didn’t want to talk about what happened. I felt like talking about it would make it worse, more real, maybe.”
“Does the police know anything else?”
“That’s all they told me.” I glanced at my phone again. It was an hour to sunset. As much as I dreaded going home, I had to be indoors within the hour, which meant I should leave now.
As good as the day out with Caleb had been, the memory of yesterday still hadn’t left me; the vampire breaking my door and urging me out. The thought of being there, alone in the house again made me shiver. Nick said they wouldn’t be able to go in uninvited no matter what, but what if they came up with better ideas to flush me out? What if they cut the electricity or set the house of fire? I had to call Nick, ask him if it was a good idea for me to go back home.
“Hey, did you finish your coffee?” Caleb asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“Yea,” I put the empty cup back on the table. I had been anxiously sucking on the ice.
“Okay, let’s go. I want to be home early and finish my movie streak.”
“Really? Over three movies in a day?” I raised my eyebrows at Caleb.
He nodded, his shoulder-length straight hair bobbing a little. I laughed.
“Fine, whatever. I’ll head over to the bathroom first.”
My hair had held up pretty well through the heat, the fitting rooms, and the movie. My ponytail was still sleek, going straight down my back. I pulled on the hairband, releasing the tension and letting my hair fall across my shoulders. The bathroom was empty, but one of the two stalls was occupied. I stared at the mirror absentmindedly, waiting for whoever was inside to come out so I can call Nick privately. When the time dragged on, I decided to text my employees and check on them. Then I called Nick anyway. I will just be a bit vague while talking, and whoever is inside won’t understand what I’m saying. It turns out all the mental preparation was useless; The call went to voice mail, anyway, so I hung up with a big sigh and prepared to go back to Caleb.
The stall door clicked open, and a red-haired shape caught my eye in the mirror, eerily familiar. I screamed and turned back.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” I blurted, staring at the pretty girl standing right in front of me. Her hair was long and red, her figure well rounded under a white blouse. For a second, I thought she was Bianca. “You look like a friend of mine.”
The girl stared back at me, unmoving. I shifted on my feet. Something was wrong with her eyes; they were cold somehow, and the way she looked at me was strange.
“Okay, sorry again,” I said, “excuse me,” I stepped towards the door. The girl just stood there, perfectly centered between me and the door, unmoving.
“You shouldn’t go back home, Marissa,” she said.
My skin broke in goosebumps.
“Who are you?” I asked. It wasn’t just the hair; something about the girl’s face looked familiar.
“Just don’t,” she said, then slipped out of the door.
By the time I broke out of the frozen spell she had cast on me, and went outside, the redhead was nowhere to be found.
“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked, standing up, alarmed. My repetitive calls to Nick were still going to voice mail.
“Did you see a redhead walk out?” I asked Caleb, my heart hammering in my chest. He shook his head. I stormed out of the café and scanned the area outside, but there was no trace of the girl. Caleb was already by my side. He tugged my arm gently. “What happened?” His brown eyes were full of concern. I realized I was shaking.
“Caleb, can I stay at your place tonight?”
“Yes, of course. What’s wrong, Marissa?” We were already on our way out of the mall door. I had to be inside as soon as possible.
How the fuck did she know my name?
Chapter 16
Unlike me, Caleb lived fairly close to Black and Foam. We passed by the front window of the coffee shop on our way. The glass doors were closed, but they always are even when we are open to business, and we had no outdoor area. Onlookers wouldn’t have been able to tell anything was different today than any other business day if not for the bright yellow tape surrounding the café. I winced at the sight of Black and Foam closed for the first time in over a year. What will passersby think when they see police tape around my business? What will our customers think?
Caleb squeezed my hand. “We’ll have to update socials today,” he said again, on the same wavelength as me.
I nodded, trying not to tear up. It will be all right. It had to.
Caleb’s apartment was even smaller than mine, basically furnished in space-efficient Ikea pieces. A few plants here and there breathed life into the place, and a huge curved TV hung overbearingly on the northern wall of the living room/dining room/kitchen. A couple of grey bean bags were scattered in front of the TV, and a small shelf carried the PS4 game console connected to the big screen. Two small shelves occupied the wall on my left, one contained stacks of Playstation games, and the other carried Caleb’s book collection, an impressive group of classic literature and modern day iconic works. Caleb had a way of surprising you like that. One day he spends his off duty hours playing first-person shooter games, and the next, he would show up to work snickering with his eyes glued to The Importance of Being Earnest.
I collapsed on one of the bean bags. No mi casa es su casa was needed; it wasn’t my first time here. Due to the closeness of the apartment to our coffee shop, Caleb and I would sometimes run to his house and chill for an hour before going back to work, especially during the early months of Black and Foam’s life where w both worked almost around the clock. I rarely ever saw my apartment back then.
I hadn’t stopped by my place to pick up anything to sleep in, sunset was creeping on me quickly, and I dreaded explaining the damaged door to Caleb. I was just going to stay up and watch TV for the whole night, then crawl back to my place at sunrise. If anything, there were two topnotch baristas in this apartment, and we could keep the coffee flowing for as long as needed.
Caleb popped out of his room in a stained white T-shirt and bright green shorts.
“Do you only own that one T-shirt?” I asked.
“What, that’s another one!”
“Both have the exact same stain?”
“No, this one is mustard, the other is ketchup,” he rolled his eyes at my lack of observational skills. Both stains, if there were indeed two T-shirts, actually looked like coffee stains.
Caleb was standing in front of the tiny open plan kitchenette, eating a dry slice of toast, the crumbs making their slow descent to the floor with a few landing on his chin. In t
he corner, one of those robot vacuum cleaners was moving patiently in his daily mission of keeping the apartment inhabitable.
Caleb rubbed the crumbs off his chin and hands, then sank into the bean bag beside mine. He smelled good. That’s another thing about Caleb. He may be a slob, but he was always clean, freshly groomed and smelling of some sort of subtle cologne.
“You’d think six years of working as a barista would teach you that coffee stains should be washed on the cold cycle,” I teased.
“Ket-chup,” he mouthed the word slowly.
“Whatever. Hand me that remote.”
“No.” Caleb quickly moved the remote to his other hand, taking it out of my reach. “We have already watched one sappy movie today. I am master of the remote now.”
So we ended up watching a Ready Player One rerun, which wasn’t too bad if you ask me, and drinking soda. At least Caleb didn’t watch sports.
My phone started buzzing around the movie’s midpoint. I was too busy taking in the visuals of the filmmaker’s recreation of the Overlook Hotel from The Shining I didn’t even bother checking out the screen. By the time the movie ended, I had ten missed calls on my phone, and five text messages.
I almost ignored them, but then another message came in, Whoever has this phone, I am coming for you!
