The Starry Night Festival was in full swing.
Vendors were lined up in their booths on both sides of the streets with their goods on full display. There were bright strings of lights decorating the trees and booths to help set the lovely atmosphere.
Street performers littered the sidewalks and presented their talents to the festival goers. Gregory and I stopped and admired a young man's juggling magic act. I wanted to stop at an ATM to pull out some money to give him.
"Why do we need to go to an ATM?" He asked me.
"Because it's a rule of thumb," I began explaining, "If you stop to watch a street performer's act then you have to give them money. It's the right thing to do."
"I see," Gregory replied while reaching into his back pocket.
I was surprised to see him pull out a small, but acceptable amount of bank notes from his wallet before placing it in the man's upturned hat on the ground.
We continued our walk through the festival, but I had a nagging question on my mind.
"Gregory, where did you get that money?" I asked him.
For obvious reasons, vampires don't have daytime jobs and my parents were still trying to acquire necessary documentation for the clan. Things like birth certificates, passports, medical records, etc. It wasn't necessarily 'legal', but my mom convinced my dad that it was absolutely necessary for them to perform this task if they wanted Clan Sackville-Bagg to live relatively normal lives.
Especially since we are mortal and won't be alive forever to cover for them…
"Remember when you told me how you would tutor kids for extra cash?" Gregory answered my question with a question.
"Yes…" I answered in confusion, not understanding what one had to do with the other.
"I started a little side business tutoring people online in subjects like English and Literature," he informed me.
"Really?" I stated, shocked at this new information, "How come you didn't tell me?"
"I wanted it to be a bit of a surprise," he answered with a grin.
"Congratulations," I said with a laugh, "I'm very surprised!"
"Yeah, your dad helped me set up a and a bank account," he expounded on the subject, "He drove us to the village about a month back and showed me how to work the ATM. I've been coming down here at least once a week to withdraw the money from the account."
"How did you set up the account in your name?" I whispered to him while hoping that he would understand my actual question.
How did you create a bank account without proper papers and documentation?
"Your dad set it all up under his name," Gregory answered, easily understanding my meaning, "He gave me the card with the pin number and said to just be careful not to get an 'overdraft fee'. I had to look up what an overdraft fee was…"
I snickered at that.
"It's not funny," Gregory grumbled at me, "I wanted to come to you for advice, but had to do it all on my own—"
"You didn't have to do it on your own," I reminded him.
"No, but I wanted to," he admitted, "I wanted it to be a surprise…"
"I am very surprised…But when would you have told me?" I asked him.
"Pardon?"
"Well, if we weren't out here celebrating tonight, when would you have told me about your tutoring business?" I inquired.
He gave me a side glance before letting out a sigh.
"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag already…" Gregory mumbled while trailing off, "Your birthday. I was waiting to surprise you on your birthday."
I blinked at him in shock.
"My birthday isn't until December 15th!" I exclaimed.
He was going to wait a little over 3 months to tell me?!
"I know that."
"Don't you think it's a bit early to start planning my—okay never mind, I heard it after I said it. Very hypocritical of me, I know," I quickly cut myself off after seeing the look he gave me.
"Very hypocritical," Gregory confirmed with a smirk on his face.
"Well, anyway…" I blushed from the embarrassment of my hypocrisy and the thought of Gregory actually planning something for my birthday.
"Since you already know about it…" Gregory began, "Do you think you can show me how to invest some of my money into this 'stock market'? It doesn't have to be tonight, but eventually I would like to know how to grow my business."
"Oh, of course!" I happily cried, "We just have to, uh…wait for your 'papers' to come through."
Geeze, I hope nobody overhears how suspicious our conversation sounds.
"Right, right…" Gregory quickly nodded his head understanding.
We had walked quite a ways before stopping at a booth to look at various trinkets and necklaces.
"Want a new necklace?" Gregory asked me.
I smiled at his offer before shaking my head no.
"Nah, your handmade necklace is still my favorite," I confided with a small smile.
He seemed to puff up with pride at my declaration and I continued scanning the various accessories.
There were quite a few cute selections, but nothing that fit what I was looking for.
"I have a shop in the village, just up the road there," the vendor finally told me before taking a seat in his foldable chair.
"I'm sorry?" I questioned in confusion, not quite catching his meaning.
"I've been in this business long enough to know who I can sell to and who is looking for a specific piece," he elaborated, "You like my designs, but nothing here is what you're looking for. I have more pieces in my shop and there might be an accessory there that meets your requirements."
I raised my eyebrows in astonishment. Quite impressed by the older man's spot-on observations.
"I see…When are you open?" I politely asked.
I might as well give his shop a chance since he clearly knows what he's talking about.
"Monday through Saturday, 9am-5pm," the vendor stated with a smug grin on his face before he handed me his business card that contained all the information I needed.
He had every right to be prideful after that display.
"Perfect, I'll be sure to check out your shop sometime next week," I announced with a nod of my head.
"I'll be there," he partially joked, "My name is Oliver, but everyone calls me Ollie."
"My name is Lucretia, and this is Gregory," I said introducing ourselves while politely holding out my hand, "It's nice to meet you."
Ollie shook my hand and a sudden thought came into my mind.
"I'm surprised that the festival is as crowded as it is," I began telling Ollie, "To be honest, I just thought it would be a couple of booths selling goods on the side. Does it have some sort of historic significance for the village?"
The vendor smiled at my observation before replying, "The majority of these people are waiting for a play that the local theater is putting on. It's quite a production and has a couple of big-time celebrities in it."
"Really? Celebrities in such a small village production?" I asked him incredulously.
I hope that I wasn't coming off too rude or anything, but it was just shocking to hear about a couple of movie stars playing in a local theater.
"Yep, weird turnabout isn't it?" Ollie agreed, understanding my confusion, "Apparently one of the celebrities is from here and wanted to give back to the village that shaped him. He's the one that convinced the others to help out."
"The tickets must be awfully expensive," I mused.
"That they are, but it's for a good cause," Ollie admitted, "Plus, the big movie star made it so that the people who have been living here for 30 years, or more, can see it for free."
"Well isn't that kind of him," I commented with a smile.
That must be a real treat for such a small village to see.
"That it is," Ollie agreed once more.
"How long is the production going on?" I asked him.
"Oh, probably for another month, I'd say," Ollie told me, "They may even extend it until the beginning of November with how successful it's all going."
"Are there pamphlets or brochures about the play or any upcoming events?" I inquired.
"Oh, yes, there is," Ollie told me while pointing down to the next street, "If you make a left over there and go all the way down, you'll see the city hall building. They set up a booth of village information and upcoming events in front of it."
"Wonderful, thank you so much for your time and helpful information, Ollie," I thanked the man before giving him a final handshake goodbye.
"Oh, anytime," he brushed off with a smile, "Don't forget to stop by the shop now."
"Oh, don't worry," I reassured him while walking away, "I'll be sure to stop by!"
After we parted our ways, Gregory and I followed his directions and wound up in front of city hall's building. Sure, enough there was a lovely booth with all kinds of helpful calendars and pamphlets.
"Are you really going to go to his shop?" Gregory asked me as he watched me peruse the brochures.
"Of course, I am," I told him while briefly glancing his way, "Ollie had a lot of interesting pieces on display."
"But you are in school Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm," he gently reminded me.
What was he getting at?
"…Yes, but I'm off on Saturdays."
"Are you going to go by yourself?" Gregory bluntly asked me.
So, that's what this was about.
"Yea—I mean no," I amended when I saw the dark look that passed his face.
"Lucy…" Gregory growled out in warning.
"Oh, alright, I was going to take the bus there on Saturday and go by myself. However," I quickly interrupted when I saw him open his mouth in protest, "I will ask Maney or my parents to go with me if that would make you feel better about the situation."
"That would make me feel a lot better about the situation," Gregory confided, happy that I wasn't going to be by myself in the village during the daytime.
"Alright, now that our game-plan for Saturday shopping has been determined," I began saying, trying to change the topic of conversation, "Help me pick out some pamphlets and events that you think the rest of the family might enjoy."
Gregory nodded his head in understanding before peering over my shoulder to look at the available selections.
"Are we going to that play?" He asked me.
"No, you don't like plays or musicals," I told him with a smirk, "I was thinking that our parents might want to go see it. Kind of like a double date, you know?"
"That means we'd be in charge of the little heathens," Gregory reminded me with a look.
"Oh, stop, they aren't that bad," I laughed while nudging his arm.
"Says you, the girl with the worst judgement in the world," Gregory jokingly teased.
"I do not have the worst judgement in the world," I argued, "I mean, I chose you as my best friend, didn't I?"
"You're not helping your case here," Gregory remarked with a sad shake of his head.
"You are the worst," I told him in exasperation.
"And yet you still chose me…See what I mean about worst judgement in the world?" He taunted with a lop-sided grin.
I just shook my head before focusing on reading about the new festivals coming up in October. Gregory slid his arms around me in response to my silence. I let my body lean back into his solid frame and took solace in the pleasant atmosphere.
We stood like that for a few moments before deciding to head towards the club. It would take another 30 minutes before they opened, so we decided to sit on a nearby bench while we waited.
By the time we sat down, I had already had a good idea of which events we were going to take the family to. The only problem that I faced now was trying to figure out where to put all the pamphlets and calendars that I had collected.
The two, red pockets on my jacket were too small and barely held my case for my headphones.
I looked at Gregory and asked him, "Do you have a spot where you can store all this stuff?"
"Hmmm…oh yeah, here," Gregory told me while holding out his hand for the papers.
I handed it to them and watched in fascination as he opened up his jacket and unzipped one of his inside pockets.
My mouth dropped open.
"Wait, hold up," I said still trying to wrap my mind around the injustice of it all, "You get let's see, 1, 2…4 pockets on the outside and two of those four pockets are deep!"
I made my point by sticking my entire hand into one of the lower outer pockets in demonstration.
"And you get an inside—no, no you get two inside pockets with zippers?!" I shrieked when I realized that there was a similar pocket on the other side of his jacket.
"You seem really upset by this," Gregory commented with amusement in his voice.
"Upse—upset?! I am livid!" I shouted in astonishment, "Do you see what I get from the fashion industry? Two, itty-bitty, baby pockets that I can barely stick two fingers in. Sure, they zip up, but that is not the point!"
"There is a point?" He asked me while trying to stifle his chortles.
I swatted his arm in defense, "Yes, there is a point! It's called pocket equality!"
"Poc-pocket equality?!…I, uh, I see," Gregory was practically wheezing at this point.
"No, you don't see," I seethed at him, "It's bad enough that we don't get pockets on our jeans like you boys do. Sometimes they are even painted on. But now we don't get the pocket space we so rightfully deserve on our jackets? No. I refuse to accept this any longer. I draw the line right there."
I had ended my rant with an impressive tone of finality.
Too bad Gregory missed it because he was still guffawing at my term of pocket equality.
"Oh, go stick your head in a bucket of garlic," I snapped at him while crossing my arms in a huff.
"Oh, come on, it's not that bad," Gregory tried to console me once he got his laughter better under control, "Until this… 'pocket equality' happens, I don't mind being your pack mule."
That was the wrong thing to say to me in that moment.
"Oh, that is just so typical of a man!" I accused while glowering at the unsuspecting vampire, "You caused the problem and just love us needing your assistance to help remedy a temporary solution. When a permanent solution could have been achieved if you men did not commit the act in the first place."
"…Lucy, you do realize that I'm not part of the fashion industry, right?" Gregory hesitantly asked, trying to side-step any landmines that I might find in his question.
"…I bet you had a meeting on the subject too," I told him, completely ignoring his question, "I bet the topic was, 'how can we make women more reliant on us so they don't figure out that they could easily overthrow'—That's it isn't it? You shrunk our pockets so that we would still have a use for you men."
"What?"
"Yep, we needed you back when we were hunter and gatherers, and to also help populate the earth. But now that we have science and industry, we are starting to realize that we don't need you. So, you shrunk our pockets to keep us in the Dark Ages. I see your plan and I will be damned if I let it work."
"Oh, my…Lucy, please stop," Gregory said in between his fit of laughter. My whole rant had him laughing like a hyena again.
"Never," I dramatically whispered, earning another peal of laughter from my best friend.
He looked up at me with tears in his eyes from laughing so hard.
"You are a proper idiot…you know that, right?"
"Yeah, but I'm your idiot," I happily accepted, slightly amending his quote to me from the previous night.
"That you are," he sighed out before pulling me into his side.
It was fun being silly like this every once in a while.
I never really got the chance to let my hair down before Gregory came into my life.
It felt almost therapeutic to not have to consider my words and just ramble about nothing.
I tilted my head up to look at him, he felt my movements and looked down at me.
"Thank you for being you," I happily whispered to him.
"Anytime," he responded while resting his forehead on mine.
We stayed like this for a while.
It would have been longer had my neck not started to cramp up and caused me to lay my head on his shoulder. Gregory rested his chin on top of my head and hummed with contentment.
So, grateful for him in my life…
The bands at the club were absolutely spectacular!
After we entered the doors, Gregory and I had placed our jackets with the employee managing the coat room and rented a booth for the evening. We figured that we would need a place to rest during intervals and chose a comfy spot in the balcony. Plus, it was far enough from the stage that we could have a nice conversation while listening to music.
It beats screaming our words to each other at the top of our lungs.
We were currently taking a breather in the two-seater booth when the waitress came up to our table.
She first started talking to us in German.
I had a blank look on my face, while Gregory was able to pick up the conversation with ease.
I felt a sting of jealousy surged through me when he started speaking the language fluently.
This is what sucks about my learning ability. I am a visual learner, not auditory, and I can read different languages, but have difficulty speaking the language.
Gregory must have noticed my sour mood and gave a slight chuckle before, I'm assuming, politely asking the waitress if she is able to speak in English.
"Oh, yeah, that's no problem," she informed him with a smile and a slight accent, "I'm actually in the process of starting school next Fall to become a translator. So, this is great practice for me."
"Thank you," I gratefully said while looking at her, "I'm really sorry about making you switch languages for me. I swear that I really am trying to get the hang of it."
"Oh, don't worry," she told me with a smile, "It does take time and patience."
I earnestly nodded my head in agreement.
"So, as I said before, my name is Gretchen and I'll be taking care of you this evening," she reintroduced herself, "Is there any drinks or appetizers I can get you two started on?"
"Oh, could we get a large glass of Dr. Pepper with two straws?" I politely requested.
"No problem, did you want any food to go with the drink order?" she asked.
"No, just the Dr. Pepper is fine, thank you again Gretchen," I respectfully declined with a smile.
"You got it," she said while putting her notepad away, "I'll be right back with that drink for you and if you change your mind about the food later on, just flag me down okay?"
"Yep, thank you!" I called back as she walked away.
Once she was out of sight I let my head slump to the table.
That was embarrassing.
I hate being a beginner at things.
"You know, everyone has to crawl before they can walk, right?" Gregory asked my slumped and defeated head that was still resting on the table.
"Pshhh, forget crawling or walking," I responded while lifting my head to look him in the eye, "I want to sprint right at the start."
He laughed at my dramatics but knew that part of me was serious when I said that I didn't want to be a novice, but a professional at everything that I did.
"Oh, Lucy, what am I going to do with you?" He rhetorically asked me while I just shrugged my shoulders at him in response.
Gretchen soon returned with our large glass of Dr. Pepper and two straws. We thanked her for our drink as she walked away. I placed both straws into the glass before taking a sip of it.
Gregory looked at me curiously, wondering why I asked for two straws.
I tried to hint my reasoning and asked him, "Aren't you going to help me drink all this soda?"
A lightbulb went off in his head as he wrapped his fingers around the other straw and acted like he was drinking from the glass. I continued sucking down the soda to make it seem like we were both enjoying the cool beverage at the same time.
Once I got my fill of it, I leaned back in my seat with a satisfied look on my face. Gregory copied my actions and shook his head in amusement at my planned antics.
"There are water coolers set up in the corners of the dance floor too," I nonchalantly told him, "When we get thirsty while dancing, we can just save the plastic and drink from the same cup, if that's alright with you?"
Hoping that he would get my hint of how we can make it seem that he's a normal human that needs water and refreshments after dancing the night away.
He must have gotten my gist because he replied, "Yeah, that's fine by me. I know it'll make your mother happy to hear that we didn't waste plastic and 'litter the world with more pollution'."
I laughed at his perfect imitation of her and her favorite saying.
Mom definitely had the heart of a hippy child and a mind of a vicious business shark.
It was a fun combination that always led to interesting encounters.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you…" I started the conversation while slightly trailing off.
"Oh, and what have you been meaning to ask me?" He inquired with a dramatic raise of his eyebrows.
I snickered at his childish behavior before continuing my sentence, "Do your parents know about you tutoring other students online?"
"Oh, of course, I'm Gregory, not Rudolph remember?" He reminded me with a sly smile, "I can't sneak anything past the 'Great Frederick Sackville-Bagg'."
"Rudolph is not that sneaky," I reprimanded him while lightly kicking his shin.
"Oh, no, it's worse than I thought…He's got you ensnared in those big, puppy eyes of his as well," Gregory morosely sighed, "You hate to see it happen to the most brilliant of minds, but…here we are…"
"Gregory…" I warned while narrowing my eyes.
"Lucy…" He mimicked back to me.
"You are such a brat, but anyway," I informed him while powering through my previous question before he sidetracked me, "Since your parents know about your side business, do you think that they will let Anna publish her poetry online?"
"I don't see why not," Gregory honestly replied while thinking about the situation, "They let Rudolph design and manage a web page for Tony's comic books."
"…I'm sorry what did you just say?" I asked him completely shocked by this new information.
Gregory sat frozen in his spot like a deer in the headlights.
Something tells me that he was sworn to secrecy and not supposed to tell me that information.
"All these years of training and learning how to school my face into one of complete neutrality and how to keep my mouth shut…and yet, I blabbed like some gossiping schoolgirl," I heard him mutter to himself as he rubbed his eyes, trying to alleviate the building pressure in his head.
"Gregory…" I began calling the young vampire's attention back to me, "What's going on?"
"…Alright, here's the deal, I tell you what is happening, and you don't tell anyone that you heard it from me, agreed?" Gregory finally bargained while sticking his hand out towards me over the table.
I thought over my options before nodding my head in agreement.
"Deal," I shook his hand before asking, "Now, what is going on and why is it being kept from me?"
"The boys, like me, wanted to surprise you and start their own business together," he finally admitted, "They wanted to be able to buy you a birthday present with their own hard-earned money, and to also show you what an inspiration that you have been to them by striking out on their own."
My mind blanked and I sat there stunned by the heart-warming news.
Tony had never shown an interest in the business world before. Which was probably because he thought it was all suits and ties in office buildings. I doubt that he saw the bountiful opportunities the world of webcomics had.
Rudolph was such a good influence on Tony.
Hell, they both brought out the good in each other.
"I'm so happy that Tony and Rudolph were able to find such an amazing and beneficial friendship with each other," I whispered to Gregory with a delighted smile on my face.
"…You're not mad that the boys hid this from you?" Gregory hesitantly asked me.
"Oh, no…well, a little bit, but only because I selfishly want to be involved in everything that they are doing. But, Tony was right…there are some things that he has to figure out on his own. I am happy that he isn't doing this completely alone and at least has a best friend like Rudolph by his side," I confided to my best friend.
"I'm happy to hear that," Gregory sighed out in relief.
"So, Rudolph is getting into web designing?" I asked him, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Yeah, he's actually really good at it," he answered with a laugh, "He's never really had a sense of direction before. I was always the leader, the next in line to…take over the family business. Anna had her poetry, the household, and her studies to keep her occupied. But Rudolph…he did decent in his studies, but never had a drive or a passion for anything before. A lot of the, uh, 'family' members were worried when so much time passed, but he still found nothing to occupy his nights with. They were afraid that his restless nature would get the best of him."
"Yeah…I can understand your concern…" I admitted while thinking of Tony.
"I wasn't concerned. It was the other family members who were concerned, not me," Gregory denied haughtily.
"Oh, please, drop the tough, big brother act for once," I derisively snorted at him, "You were scared that he was just going to drift through life without a goal or plan in mind. Maybe even end up traveling onto the wayward path that would lead him to defeat and ruin."
"That is very specific fear that you just listed there, Lucy," Gregory commented while sending me a knowing look.
I took another sip of the soda, trying to collect my thoughts before revealing one of my biggest fears to Gregory.
"Tony…he's, he's a good kid—a great kid even, but…I just worry about him," I bit my lip, contemplating on how to continue the conversation.
"Go on, Lucy, you know I'll never judge you," Gregory gently whispered to me while stroking the back of my hand with his thumb.
"Well it's just... what you said for Rudolph, it's the same for Tony," I continued, "I am the one who was tested at a genius level, so it was decided that I would be the one who would take over business operations, well, I more so seized that title without hesitation…But Tony's existence was practically forgotten about in the company and business world."
My hand clasped his for support when I thought about those pitying looks and snide comments from customers, partners, and business rivals.
"Hell, Tony wasn't just the social pariah at school, but he was harshly judged at our parents' business meetings and social gatherings. My blood boils just thinking of their snide remarks. 'Oh, he goes to a public school—how interesting, guess you can't have two geniuses can you?' 'Oh, that's right, you have a son—he's the, uh, creative one right…I'm sure there are, uh, opportunities for him…somewhere' They acted as though he wasn't even in the room, Gregory!" I seethed at the memory.
"What if he had started to believe the things that those horrible people had said? I was terrified that he would lose his drive and just shuck all of his responsibilities and live off our parents' wealth. I mean there are so many lazy, good-for-nothings that mooch off their parents these days, and I was terrified that Tony would, would—"
"Hey, hey, look at me Lucy," he shushed me while lifting my eyesight to his face, "That's all in the past. We promised not to focus on the past, remember? Besides, we don't have to worry about any of that anymore, right?"
I took a calming breath before realizing that he was right.
"Right, our brothers found each other and are successfully branching out by combining their own individual strengths."
"Exactly, Rudolph found a passion for computers and webpage designing…" Gregory began, prompting me to carry on his statement.
"…And Tony found a way to successfully turn his passion into a marketable career," I ended with a smile.
"There she is," Gregory hummed in approval, "There's the smiling girl I was looking for."
I giggled as he his thumbs traced my cheekbones, "Do you want to hear what really breaks my heart about Tony starting a business on his own?"
"What is that?" Gregory asked me in curiosity.
"I spent years compiling a list of college majors, subjects ranging from Accounting to Zoology, and added 3 to 5 universities beneath each one. These chosen universities were the best options for teaching Tony whichever major he selected," I drily informed him in an honest manner.
Gregory blinked at me once then twice before pulling his hands away from my face to try to cover his growing smile.
"…Oh Lucy," he wheezed out, coughing into his hand like he wasn't laughing at me.
"There's more…" I told him in shame.
"No there isn't," Gregory denied shaking his head, still trying to get his snickering under control.
"Oh, but there is," I confirmed before admitting, "I also compiled a secondary list of professions that he might be interested in just in case he did not want to attend university and start the workforce immediately."
A snort and a bang sounded from across the table as he squeezed his eyes shut and knocked his fist on the table. His shoulders were silently going up and down as he soundlessly cackled at my expense.
"This one obviously took longer because I had to research different names that would still be prominent in their field of work by the time Tony turned 18," I carried on as though he wasn't dying of laughter in front of me, "…I've been meticulously updating that stupid list every 3 years in accordance to his changing interests and hobbies. Not to mention that some of the potential partners or allies that I have listed are either retired or washed up…so there is also that as well."
I placed my chin in my hand as I silently waited for Gregory to get ahold of himself.
Once he had a better grip over his laughter, he opened his eyes to look at me, but immediately clasped his hand back over his mouth. 'Coughing' into his hand, he gave me a small smile.
He started chortling all over again and I tried to resist but ended up laughing just as hard with him.
"Oh, oh, by the dark star, Lucy," Gregory wheezed out, "I ca-n't stop laugh-ing!"
"Well, I was fine until you looked at me, you goofball!" I returned while clutching my mouth to try to steady my labored breathing.
"S-so, I take it that you won't be updating these lists anymore?" Gregory finally asked me with a teasing tone.
"You are such a—no, Gregory, I will not be updating those lists anymore," I growled out before repeatedly kicking him in the shin.
He laughed harder at my predicament before grabbing my attacking leg and pulling it onto his seated lap. His fingers gently rubbed soothing circles on the top and back of my knee while we both calmed down.
Gregory stared at me, still a bit of mirth in his eyes as he whispered, "Thank you for being you."
I leaned my head onto the back of the booth before whispering his response from earlier that evening, "Anytime…"
Gregory and I had eventually made it back to the dance floor.
We laughed and bobbed our heads to our favorite songs while serenading each other during different verses. There was only one instance when some kids tried to form a mosh pit, but management quickly broke that up.
Liability issues prevented the rowdy bunch of teenagers from acting on their crazy hormone-filled antics.
Which worked out in my favor since one of the kids nearly elbowed me in the head.
I've only seen Gregory have such a feral, rage-filled look once before when Marcus attacked me. I've never seen him direct such a gaze towards a mortal and don't know what I would have done if he had acted upon instincts.
While management took care of the group, I took care of Gregory and pulled him towards the water coolers. There, we pretended to drink water while he seethed and ranted about the bunch of idiots who tried to start the pit.
I had gently soothed him and had also told him that it is something that happens at concerts all the time…at least, that's what I've heard.
I've never actually been to any type of concert before today.
Gregory eventually calmed down and wrapped his arm around my shoulder before asking if I was sure that I was okay.
I reassured him once again that I was just fine, and we returned back to the dance floor.
A new band, called Bone Diggers, had taken the stage and they were really good.
Their sound was extremely professional and crisp, while their lyrics were deep, but easy to understand. I was considering buying their album after the show, but Gregory motioned for us to go take a seat at our booth.
Did he not like this band?
I thought they were pretty good…
I decided to listen to him and follow him back to the booth.
"You okay?" I asked him once we took our seats.
Glancing around the room, I saw that all the customers and patrons were in front of the stage cheering the new band.
They must be extremely popular here.
"Yeah, just started getting crowded down there is all," Gregory replied without looking at me. His eyes were frantically searching the crowd as though he was looking for something…or someone.
"Gregory…?" I hesitantly called his name, not sure why the feeling of uncertainty was nagging me.
"…I'll tell you later…okay?" Gregory finally admitted while soothingly squeezing my hand that was resting on the table.
"Is it trouble?" I whispered to him.
"…Possibly," he replied while resuming his search for the potential threat.
"We promised your dad that we would return home if—"
"I know, I just…I—I don't want to leave on a sour note," Gregory finally confided while tearing his eyes away from the growing crowd to look at me.
"Pun intended?" I half-heartedly asked with a small smile.
He realized what I meant and gave a small snort before informing me, "You are such an idiot."
"I thought we already clarified that I was your idiot?" I questioned with a tilt of my head.
Gregory suddenly took in a sharp intake of breath before whispering to me, "…That you are…"
"…We should go, Gregory," I finally broke the silence and looked up at him.
"After the next band," he told me before explaining his reasoning, "When you went to the bathroom, I overheard some people talking about a certain band performing and their musical content. I know you will enjoy this band, so I asked Gretchen when they will perform. She said that they will be on after Bone Diggers, and I want you to hear them before we leave…This is supposed to be your night Lucy, I won't let anyone take that from you."
I smiled at his considerate attitude before reluctantly agreeing to his terms, "Alright…only if you think it will be safe."
"It will be," he promised with a smile, "I won't let anything happen to you."
"I'm more worried about you, you idiot," I grumbled at him with a slight glare.
"…I know," Gregory replied before moving from his spot to sit down next to me.
He pulled me into his side. I rested my head on his shoulder and he rested his chin on my head. We sat like this, in a comfortable silence, until we heard Bone Diggers thank the audience and leave the stage.
I watched Gregory's head snap up as he analyzed the situation below us.
"Alright, what we are going to do is slowly make our way back towards the stage," Gregory divulged while going over his plan, "I'm going to keep my arm wrapped around you, so if you feel me stop walking, then you stop walking. My unwrapping my arm from around your shoulder is going to be the signal of where we stand on the dance floor, okay?"
"I understand," I told him while earnestly nodding my head.
I wasn't going to do anything that could potentially put my best friend at risk.
We had made our way halfway to the dance floor when he stopped and pulled me closer to his body. He pretended to lean down and whisper something in my ear, but I saw him vigorously scan the crowd from the corner of my eyes.
Gregory relaxed a little, but still refused to move any closer towards the dancefloor. His arm was still wrapped around me, so I knew that we weren't done moving yet.
I saw his nose twitch and nostrils slightly flare. I wrapped my arm around his middle and tilted my head closer to his to hide our true intentions. It seemed to work since everybody around us seemed to ignore our standing figures.
Gregory let out a sigh of relief before pulling me the rest of the way onto the dance floor. We didn't stand as close to the stage as we did before, but we were still pretty close to our original spots.
I noticed him give the air one final sniff before completely relaxing his figure and releasing his hold on me.
By the time we got situated on the floor, the next band, Electric Hearts, had already set up on stage and introduced themselves.
I was curious as to why Gregory wanted me to hear this band more than anything until I heard their bass player strum out a familiar set of chords.
No way…
Sure enough, they started playing the rock version of Katy Perry's E.T. and I almost lost my mind.
I looked at Gregory in complete astonishment.
Said vampire had a completely smug look on his face.
"Punk goes pop?" I excitedly asked him.
"Punk goes pop," Gregory verified with a laugh, "They only play rock covers of pop music. Do you like your surprise?"
"I love it!" I shouted while throwing my arms around him in a tight hug.
He laughed at my ecstatic attitude before reciprocating the hug and leaning down to whisper in my ear, "Congratulations, Lucy. I knew you could do it."
God, whatever I did in a past life to deserve this wonderful vampire, I will gladly repeat it again and again if you let me keep him forever…
"Thank you, Gregory," I sighed out before, reluctantly, releasing my hold on him to turn back to the fun upbeat music being performed on stage.
My body swayed to the music and I sang along with the chorus.
Best. Night. EVER!
"Here, how about you go get our jackets, while I settle the bill for the booth and the drinks," Gregory told me while handing me his ticket stub.
"What? No way am I letting you pay for everything," I told him while trying to pull out my debit card from my phone case. His long fingers stopped my movements.
"Lucy, this is your night," Gregory reminded me while taking my phone away from.
"Gregory, you already paid the entrance fee and I drank the majority of those two sodas, not you," I reminded him, still trying to reach my phone case that he now held over my head.
Well, I drank all the soda from those two drinks, but the eavesdropping employees didn't need to know that.
"Don't care," Gregory simply replied while handing me his ticket stub and pushing me towards the coat room, "Go get our jackets while I settle the bill."
I crossed my arms in an indignant manner while trying to stare him down.
My intimidation tactics did not work.
I grumbled under my breath about stupid, pushy, macho men while the coat room clerk grabbed our two jackets. She came back and giggled at the pouting face that I was trying to hide.
She must have overheard our conversation and thought it was cute how a 5'5" girl was going to intimidate 6'4" boy.
Well…with his height he probably looks more like a man, but he was just a stupid, bossy boy in my eyes.
I thanked her for our jackets and wanted to leave her some kind of tip when I realized two important facts. First, I didn't have my phone, so I didn't have my debit card to pay or tip anything. Second, I don't have any cash on me since we never stopped at the ATM after we saw that juggling magician at the festival.
Man, I am really not batting a thousand today.
I was trying to come up with an alternative plan to tip the nice lady when the sleeve of a familiar, red flannel shirt came into my peripheral vision.
My gaze turned just in time to see Gregory place a few bank notes in the tip jar.
I smiled at his generosity before turning towards him. All of my previous ire forgotten with that one, kind act.
"Ready to go?" He asked me when he noticed my gaze.
I nodded my head yes before holding his jacket out to him. He took it and placed it over his arm before taking ahold of my jacket as well.
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, trying to work out why he also grabbed my jacket from me. Clarity reached my eyes when he straightened my jacket and held it out to me to put my arms through.
He was being a gentleman and helping me put my jacket on.
I stared at him in shock for a moment before shaking myself from my reverie and slipping my arms into the sleeves. Once I was situated into the coat, he turned me around and zipped up the front.
Okay…that was a bit much.
Next he pulled my jacket's hood over my head and was gently tucking my ponytail into the hood. I wanted to scold him for treating me like a child but couldn't find the heart to yell at him when he was acting so sweet.
Gregory, of course, squashed this happy feeling when he yanked on both my drawstrings and tightened the hood around my face. I let out a startled yelp before laughing at his childish behavior.
I tried to pull away from him and get my head out of my jacket's hood, but he latched on and knotted the drawstrings.
Once I managed to pull away from his unyielding hold on my jacket, I desperately began unknotting my drawstrings with shaky and blind fingers. I couldn't stop laughing at the silliness of it all.
I overheard Gregory chortling from across the room and the coat room girl's attempt to stifle her own giggling. The other two cashiers, one of them being Gretchen, were also snickering at Gregory's immature display.
"I'm so sorry, I don't mean to laugh," I heard one of the employees call out to me.
I managed to wheeze out that it was fine before finally managing to get free of my hood.
My eyes adjusted to the light again and I saw Gregory hunched over, holding his sides, and wheezing from his laughing fit.
"That was so messed up," Gretchen informed Gregory from behind the register. She was desperately trying to hide the ever-present smile on her face.
Gregory just responded with another bout of laughter.
"That was so amazing," the guy standing behind the register next to Gretchen disagreed.
"Adam!" Gretchen screeched out while whacking her colleague in the shoulder.
I was still laughing from his prank when the coat room girl chimed in from behind me. She spoke in German, so I looked towards Gretchen for a translation.
"Ruth said that she thought she was witnessing a gentleman sweetly performing a chivalrous act for his lady friend but was quickly reminded of an important fact of this day and age," Gretchen told me while laughing at Ruth's final comment.
"What was that important fact?" I asked her with a smile.
"That men are stupid," She simply replied with a nod of her head.
"Ah yes, that does seem like the golden rule, doesn't it?" I asked her while glaring at Gregory who finally seemed to calm down from his laughing fit.
"I'm still in shock that you let me even zip up your jacket," he told me while coming to stand next to me.
I gave him a well-deserved swat on his arm before replying, "I thought you were trying to be sweet, but I forgot who I was dealing with."
He lowly chuckled before pulling me into his side by wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
"Thank you all for everything!" I called out to the employees behind me.
"Have a nice night!" The group answered back to us while Gregory gave them a slight wave goodbye before directing me towards the front door.
He opened the door just as a gust of cold wind hit me in the face.
"Jiminy Cricket! That's cold!" I screeched while jumping out of his hold and away from the onslaught of the outside weather.
Gregory quickly closed the door before coming next to me. He took his jacket off his arm and held it up to me.
"Here," He simply said while he held the sleeves open for me.
"But you'll be cold," I automatically responded before I realized who I was talking to.
He gave me an incredulous look before motioning for me to put his jacket on.
"Oh…right…" I mumbled before going to slip into its sleeves when I suddenly pulled back, mistrust in my eyes.
"If you trap me in the jacket's hood again, I swear I'll—"
"I won't trap you in the hood again, Lucy, I promise," Gregory reassured me before laughing at the warning glare I shot him.
I slipped my arms into its sleeves and swatted his hands away when he reached for the jacket's zipper.
He snickered at that before taking advantage of my momentary distraction and yanking his jacket's hood over my eyes.
"Gregory!" I squealed while pushing his mean hands away and tugging the hood off and out of my eyes.
His laughter disappeared out the front door as he tried to dash away from my budding wrath.
Once I regained my eyesight I chased after his retreating form, laughing at our playful behavior all the way.
He didn't run far away from me and stopped to turn just as I jumped onto his standing form. Gregory easily snatched me from the air and pulled me into his body. He held me in a bridal style while I pounded my fist on his chest.
"That was not nice, Gregory," I reprimanded him with a laugh.
Mirth shone brightly in his eyes before he answered me, "But you look so cute when you are mad."
"Cu-cute?!" I indignantly hollered at him in outrage, "I am not cute. I am a force that is not to be trifled with and will bend you to my will with merciless glee!"
He let out a bark of laughter before setting me to my feet.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he teased me as I swatted his arm once more.
"Such a jerk," I mumbled as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and started walking towards the edge of town with me.
"Such a baby," he taunted back, laughing as I elbowed his ribs, "All joking aside, did you have fun tonight?"
I smiled up at him before wrapping my arm around the middle of his torso in a somewhat side hug before nodding my head.
"Yeah, tonight was just…perfect," I sighed out with contentment.
"Good," He simply said as we continued our trek in silence.
I was about to say something about the bands when I felt his body tense beneath my arm. The wind had shifted and was blowing against our backs, his nostrils were flaring as he sniffed the air and an alarmed look crossed his face.
"…Gregory?" I whispered to him, but he curtly shook his head.
"Lucy, do not stop or say anything, understood?" Gregory urgently whispered to me, "Just keep walking with me. Do not stop—no matter what."
I nodded my head in understanding and kept my mouth firmly clamped shut and picked up my pace with his.
"Hey buddy!" I heard a male voice shout from behind us, "Come here for a second!"
Gregory's arm tightened around my shoulders and I heard his silent command loud and clear.
Keep walking.
"Hey-hey! I'm talking to you!" The voice shouted louder than before, "I just want to know if you have a light!"
I almost opened my mouth to respond, but Gregory quickly jerked my attention back to the front by squeezing my shoulder.
Don't say anything.
Snapping my mouth shut once more, we got to the end of the street and immediately turned right to get out of the view of the mysterious stranger. Gregory was still on edge and had us travel down a winding, twisting path until he was sure that we had lost the man's attention.
We eventually made it to the edge of the town in this tense silence, but he had us walk further into the tree line. Gregory's head was snapped up into the air, fiercely sniffing the wind for any signs of us being followed. He only relaxed slightly before cradling me in his arms and zooming off into the night sky.
Once we were above the clouds, he flew us back towards the castle's grounds in record time.
I thought we were immediately going to go home but ended up in our favorite garden on the property. Looking at the clock on my watch, I saw we still had 30 minutes before we had to be back home.
He must not want to raise suspicions of why we flew back so early.
"Uh, Gregory?" I hesitantly called out, "What just happened?"
He stiffened under my gaze before taking seat on one of the stone benches. He peered up at me with a defeated look before patting the spot next to him, beckoning me to sit down.
I followed his silent plea and shifted my body to the side so that I can look him in the eyes.
"…I shouldn't have risked you like that," he finally admitted, "I just—I just wanted you to be happy and have fun that I—"
"Gregory, hold up, please, start from the beginning," I interrupted him, trying to wrap my head around the reason why he was acting in such a scared and guilty manner.
"…Remember when I told you that werewolves are real?" He asked me, slightly tilting his head towards me to see my reaction.
My eyebrows furrowed with confusion.
Did he mean to say…?
"There was a werewolf at the club tonight."