Chapter 6
"Boyfriend?" Said Adam as Sauli opened the car door for him.
"Yes," replied Sauli with a blissful sigh, "He is the greatest." Adam raised his right eyebrow and crossed his arms at Sauli, who got into the driver's seat beside him.
"Oh really?" Sauli nodded once again and turned his key, starting the car.
"Absolutely," Sauli giggled as he drove down the street. Adam rolled his eyes and fixed his hair in the mirror above his seat.
"What's his name?"
"Why do I have to share my personal business with you?"
"Fine," said Adam shrewdly, applying cherry lip gloss to his perfectly plump lips, "I don't really care. I was just trying to make decent conversation." It was Sauli's turn to roll his eyes.
"You are a jerk."
"Sticks and stones, love" replied Adam as he put on a pair of dark black Michael Kors sunglasses. Sauli groaned in frustration and shook his head as he focused his full attention on the road. Adam hummed softly to himself as he dug through Sauli's glove compartment.
"Hey!" Said Sauli, still focused on the road, "What are you doing?"
"Oh, nothing important," answered Adam as he rummaged through Sauli's papers, "Ooo!" He exclaimed as Sauli slowed the car to a stop at the red light. "Is he the 'greatest'?" Adam pointed to a tall and skinny brown haired man with brown eyes in a photo he found in the glove box. His legs weren't very built, but he had muscular arms. His eyes were a dark brown with tints of light brown in them.
"Give me that!" Said Sauli as he reached for the picture. Adam snickered and pulled the picture just out of his reach.
"Ah, ah, ah, Sauli," He said, "you need to focus on the road."
"I swear if you do not give me that right now I will-" A loud beep from behind them made Sauli jump and turn his eyes back on the road. He quickly drove ahead and turned onto a street leading out of the city.
"Now," said Adam as he ran his index finger up the side of Sauli's neck, "you never answered my question. Is the guy in this picture your boyfriend?" Sauli sighed in defeat.
"Yes, that's Mika." Adam chortled with laughter.
"Mika? That's a boy's name?" Sauli growled and was practically grinding his teeth in anger.
"It's Finnish! Now stop mocking my boyfriend or I will pull over and leave you to rot on the streets! Got it?"
"Ooo," said Adam sassily, "a threat! I'm sooo scared." Adam flicked Sauli's nose, which only made Sauli angrier. He grumbled to himself in Finnish as he pulled into the large garage of his home. Adam lifted his sunglasses up and his jaw dropped at the sight of Sauli's large house. It looked almost like a mansion! "Do you live here or is this the Queen of England's summer home?" Sauli chuckled and pulled his key out of the ignition.
"This is Mika and I's home. Before we left Finland, his mother and father gave us as much as we needed to buy a home. The Euro is worth double in the United States so we could afford a nice place like this." Adam slammed his car door shut and walked over to Sauli.
"So," he said, "are you gonna be a good host and show me around?"
"Look," replied Sauli, "if you are going to be living here, you need to be respectful. I want to try to be your friend, but you are making it very hard to like you. Just, promise me if you are going to stay here you will be on your best behavior? As a friendly favor?"
"Ugh," thought Adam, "this friendly shit is driving me insane! No one can say I didn't suffer for my own existence." Adam smiled a bright fake smile and giggled.
"Of course, Sauli," he said, batting his eyelashes, "anything for you." Sauli blushed a little, smiling as he looked at the ground, then he shoved Adam's arm playfully and knocked on the front door.
"Vauva? Minä, Sauli!" The door opened and the tall male from the photograph stood before them. He was wearing a lime green t-shirt with a pair of denim shorts on. Adam eyed him carefully, making a mental note of everything and filing it away for later, just in case. "Mika!" Sauli wrapped his arms around Mika's neck and kissed his lips passionately. Mika, however, did not move. He just stared at Adam without a single blink.
"Sauli," said Mika, his voice deep and his accent thicker than Sauli's, "who is this?" Sauli frowned a little.
"Uh, well," mumbled Sauli, "he's going to be...living with us..."
"What?" Said Mika, clearly aggravated.
"Adam," said Sauli, "go inside please. Mika, I will explain everything, but let's go in our room, ok?" Mika scowled at Adam as he watched him strut into his living room. Sauli pulled Mika into their bedroom, which was a little down the hall from the living room. Once he heard the door close, Adam took the opportunity to look around. He glanced at the photos of Sauli and Mika and others hung along the walls and smirked. From the photos, you could tell Mika and Sauli did everything together, hand in hand.
"How quaint," he said. "Looks like they have an adorable little love." Adam laughed, then noticed something interesting in another photo. Sauli was resting his head on Mika's shoulder, but his eye looked dark. "Hmm," said Adam as he continued onward through the hall. Again, another strange trait on Sauli. This time, he had a bruise on his arm. And in another, he had two bruises on his leg.
"That's interesting..." thought Adam to himself. Then, before he could continue snooping around, he heard a loud bang from the other room. He followed the sound of muffled shouting to a room with a red door. He put his ear to the door and could hear Sauli from the other side, speaking loudly in Finnish.
"Mika, my love," said Sauli in Finnish, "don't get upset. It wasn't my choice I-"
"You what?!" Shouted Mika at him in Finnish. "You could've said no! But you'd have to have a spine to do that and YOU DON'T!" Adam heard the sound of glass breaking and gasped.
"Oh my," he thought, "sounds intense. Let's take a peek." He slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door ever so gently so that it opened without a creek.
"Mika, baby," said Sauli, rubbing Mika's shoulders, "please calm down. It won't be long, I promise. Angela would've fired me if I didn't acce-"
"Don't give me your shitty excuses!" Mika turned around and slapped Sauli across the face, the loud clap making Adam jump in surprise. The force of the blow knocked Sauli down on the bed, his hands covering his face. Sauli whimpered quietly and was trembling in fear. Mika stomped toward the door in rage, making Adam scramble back to the living room before he could be caught snooping. Mika grabbed a set of keys off a coat rack near the front door, left the house, and slammed the door behind him. In the silence of the house, Sauli's crying echoed throughout the halls. Adam slunk through the hallway and into Sauli's bedroom without a sound. Sauli was on his knees, leaning against the bed, his face buried in the comforter. He was shaking as his tears soaked the sheets. Adam sat down on the bed next to him and rubbed his back tenderly.
"You know," said Adam softly, "he doesn't seem like the greatest to me."
"J-Just go away..." sniffled Sauli, his voice muffled by the sheets, "This is a-all your fault..."
"Oh really?" Said Adam sarcastically. "I guess it was my fault you have all those cuts and bruises in your pictures too then, right?" Sauli didn't move for a moment, then he spoke.
"He gets mad...I-It is my fault he gets this w-way. He is wonderful, and kind, and beautiful, but...h-he gets s-so angry..." Sauli sobbed quietly into the sheets and a light went off in Adam's head.
"He's vulnerable now," he thought, "strike while you can." Adam cleared his throat and soothingly pet Sauli's head.
"When the tears come streaming down your face,
when you lose something you can't replace,
when you love someone, but it goes to waste...
Could it be worse?"
Sauli looked up at Adam, revealing the black and purple bruise under his left eye. Adam caressed Sauli's good cheek and carefully pulled Sauli closer to his face, singing to him almost in a whisper.
"Lights will guide you home,
and ignite your bones,
and I will try...
to fix you."
Adam could smell the blood clotting under Sauli's skin the closer he got. Oh, how it called to him. His pulse raced as Sauli's eyes slowly closed and the tip of his nose touched Adam's. Adam licked his lips with his long forked tongue and smiled bright, his fangs exposed and his mouth dripping with saliva like a ravenous pitbull. He opened his mouth wide, ready to bite down on Sauli's perfect, innocent, and injured face. However, just as the edge of Adam's fangs brushed against Sauli's cheek, Sauli turned away and lightly pushed Adam away.
"I can't do this," said Sauli, "T-Thank you for m-making me feel better, but I can't..." Adam groaned and put his hands to his side, his mortal form restored.
"Ugh! Why not? He hurts you, Sauli. But I..." Adam ran his index finger down Sauli's bruised cheek and said with a sinister smile, "I would never dream of hurting you." Sauli looked down and sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve.
"I love him...I know it is crazy, but I do...and even if I didn't...where would I go? We've been together so long...I-I just can't imagine life without him!" Sauli covered his face and sobbed into his hands. Adam wrapped his arms around Sauli into a hug, hiding the annoyed expression on his face.
"I was so close!" Thought Adam. "His throat was bare and ready for the taking and I missed it! Damn that Mika...I almost had him...Damn that Mika just damn him!"
"A-Adam?" Sauli snapped Adam out of his own mind.
"Yes, Sauli?" Sauli held on tight to the back of Adam's shirt.
"P-Please don't tell anyone at work about this...please? Promise me?" Adam rolled his eyes. What made Sauli so sure he could trust Adam's word?
"Okay, Sauli, I promise." Sauli sniffled and hugged Adam tighter.
"Thank you, my friend. Thank you so much." Adam growled to himself, angry that he didn't strike sooner, but then suddenly felt dizzy. He moved Sauli off of him and put his hand to his forehead.
"Ugh," said Adam, his head spinning, "what's going on?"
"Adam?" Said Sauli with concern, "Are you okay?"
"No," said Adam, "I-I feel weak." Adam looked down at his other hand and his eyes widened in shock. His hand was pale white, its skin was wrinkled, and its bones arthritis ridden. He gasped and tucked his hand into his pocket. "Oh no..."
"What?" Asked Sauli in panic. "What's wrong? Do you need help?" Sauli moved closer, but Adam moved back.
"I need to be alone!" Adam ran out of the bedroom as fast as he could and ran into the nearby bathroom across the hall. He locked the door behind him and shut the lid of the toilet, taking a seat on it once it was closed. He panted nervously and took his hand out of his pocket, watching it age right before his eyes. "No," begged Adam as he shook his head, "no, no, no! I need to feed. I need to feed now!" Adam's eyes darted left and right nervously, trying to think of a way to eat without ruining his plans. Adam smirked as the picture of a loyal, skinny, pretty, purple-haired mortal popped into his head. Adam took his stolen phone out of his pocket and dialed Tommy's number, which Tommy himself plugged into Adam's phone.
"Hello?" Answered Tommy.
"Tommy?" Said Adam as innocently and sadly as he possibly could. "It's Adam. I'm soo lonely and I miss you. Please come over to Sauli's right now so I can see you. I need you, kitty." Adam hung up and shoved the phone into his pocket, laughing manically at the thought of fresh blood dripping down his throat.