CHAPTER SEVEN
After work that day I went home and ordered a pizza. After the last few days I was going to just crash on the couch, watch TV and forget about work. Something I haven’t done in the last ten years. Oh, I’ve watched TV and ate pizza. But work was always in the back of my mind. Tonight, however, I was going to just enjoy a movie and pizza. And, of course, my furry friend Sadie will be by my side.
I ordered a large meat lover’s and wandered through my home while I waited. Past the living room is my dining room. I have a plain brown dining room table with four chairs sitting under a small chandelier. To the left is the kitchen. It’s not big but it works just fine for me. On the other side of the kitchen is the laundry room. Going back through the dining room, I head for the hall where the three bedrooms and two bathrooms are. The first room on the right is a spare room and the room next to that I use as a computer room. I walk into the computer room and see the small frame on the desk next to my computer. Inside is a picture of my mom’s parents with me as a young boy. Grandma left us over five years ago and grandpa two years ago. He left all of the grandkids enough money to live off of for more than ten years without having to work and some of the guys at the station tease me because I haven’t spent any of it; I just don’t feel right about spending it. I would rather have my grandparents than their money and I don’t like thinking about it.
Across the hall from the first room is the bathroom and next to that is the master bedroom with the master bath.
The pizza arrived and I put a DVD in the player. The knock at the door made me groan. I just wasn’t in the mood for company. I got up and answered the door.
“Hey, Shawn, how are you feeling?” I had to smile at finding Mark and Courtney at my door. The two people I can always count on to care and I never mind when they just drop in.
“Tired, come on in. I was just about to watch a movie and pig out on pizza and beer.”
“And you didn’t even ask Casey to join you?” Mark is such a smartass. Every time I decide to enjoy a pizza and movie, he has to bring her up.
“Bite me!”
“From the color of your skin it looks like you need to bite one of us.” Leave it to Courtney to notice.
“I won’t feed from you again, Courtney. I took too much this morning as it is.” I flopped down on the couch and grabbed a slice of pizza. I looked up to find Mark cleaning his neck.
“Damn guys, can’t we just enjoy the food and movie and forget about the fact I’m a Vampire?”
“Sure, after you get some color back in your face.” Mark sat down next to me on the couch and Courtney took my pizza. “Now drink. I’m not going to let my best friend be sick if I can help it.”
After moaning and groaning for a short while I remembered this is one argument I would never win. I leaned over Mark and sank my fangs into the side of his neck. This sent a pleasing sensation throughout Mark’s body. When a vamp bites someone they care about, we always use our power to overrun the pain of being bitten. Yeah, we do have limited power. We can’t do magic or anything but we can put a kind of trance on the ones we feed on to ease the pain. That is why it is weird to feed from Mark. It’s kind of a sexual feeling. And Mark is not my type. I’m not his either. But he goes along with it for my health.
When I pulled away from him he leaned back on the couch. Courtney handed him a slice of pizza and I got him a Mountain Dew. Beer and blood loss just don’t mix.
With the refreshment of the blood I was able to forget about my job a lot easier. Courtney and I really enjoyed the pizza and movie. Poor Mark slept through the whole thing. I felt bad about it, but Courtney said Mark wouldn’t mind. He had seen it several times before.
After the movie, Courtney and I decided to let Mark sleep it off. We moved into the dining room so we wouldn’t bother him. We started talking about Casey and for the first time since I fed, we talked about vampires. Courtney found it interesting that Casey was a vamp.
“Maybe now you can ask her out. We all know the fact you are a vamp is why you haven’t asked her yet.”
“You would think it would be easier, but you know me well enough to know that even before I changed, I couldn’t ask anyone out.” I started to peal the label off of my beer bottle. It was a nervous habit.
“I still haven’t figured that one out Shawn. You are a great guy and you are very sexy. I see women looking at you all the time. Some have even tripped over themselves to get another look. You just need to loosen up and relax.”
“Casey did say she likes me and doesn’t want to scare me off. That’s why she didn’t want to tell me she’s a vamp. That is until I showed her I’m one.”
“Then ask her out. If it makes it easier, ask her over for pizza and a movie with Mark, you and me. Where is the harm in that, just four friends hanging out?”
“I’ll think about it.” That was when Mark walked in. He had a beer in one hand and slice of pizza in the other.
“Sorry I crapped out on you two. That one kinda took it out of me.” He gives me a friendly smile to reassure me he’s not worried about it.
“No worries, I should start feeding at night anyway. You two should sleep after losing blood like that. It’s not fair for me to let you go to work with the dizziness you get from it.” I still feel guilty every time.
“And let you go to work weak. Not a chance. Your life is on the line every day. I would much rather go to work feeling dizzy than have you get hurt because you didn’t feed. I worried like crazy yesterday when you didn’t feed before you left.” Courtney had a way to make me feel better about anything.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Thank you both for being here for me.” I was starting to get very tired. I needed to sleep. Before I could say anything, my faithful friends called it first.
“You look like you need to sleep. We’ll get out of here and let you rest. I’ll be over in the morning before you go to work.” Courtney leaned over and gave me a hug. Mark slapped me on the shoulder and said goodnight.
After walking them to the door, I headed for bed. Tomorrow was Friday and I was hoping I would be able to get my weekend off. I needed to regroup and solve not only the murders, but who knew about me.