Chapter 23: Halfway There
I began to dread the following evening as soon as I woke up that morning. There was a Lestat-shaped dent in my comforter and I just wasn't sure how I felt about it. Everything was becoming so complicated…
Ben and Jane dropped by unexpectedly with takeout around seven. They were barely in the door when Jane gasped, "Evie, what is he doing here?"
I sighed. Why did he always have to show up at the most inopportune moments? Without even turning around I tried to play it off, "Oh him? He just likes to skulk in dark corners whenever he can."
A slightly irritated voice behind me said, "I do not skulk."
"Of course you don't…" I mumbled towards Ben, who broke into a grin immediately.
"I heard that."
Before I could stop her, Jane started in on him. What was he trying to prove? How could he have let his "friends" (as she called them) do this to me? Who did he think he was coming back here?
Ben and I stood on the sidelines enjoying the show.
Lestat looked visibly uncomfortable, clearly unsure of what to do with this crazy woman screaming at him and making threatening gestures. He kept looking at me like he expected me to intervene. Then the priceless moment; none of us ever would have predicted it. She slapped him right across the face.
We all stood there stunned (Lestat especially) for a moment. Then I burst out laughing, so hard I was holding my sides. They all just sort of stared at me and then Ben joined in. Jane was still livid; her face had turned all sorts of shades of purple in the past few minutes, but even she loosened up a bit. I was laughing, I hadn't laughed so freely since the incident.
With these introductions concluded we sat down to Chinese. Lestat sulked in the corner, not the best of sports. When we finished I let them out smiling genuinely and thanking them both (but Jane in particular) for a glorious evening.
I leaned back against the closed door and looked back at Lestat, still pouting. "Well aren't we the spoiled child?" I asked, laughing again.
He scoffed at me and moved to the couch.
"Oh come on," I said, sitting down on the opposite side, "It was funny and you know it."
No answer.
"Well, they're my friends and they only have my best interests at heart."
"Clearly I'm not in your best interest." He said brusquely.
"No, that you are not." I laughed again.
His frown deepened.
"You know they have no idea about the dreams, they don't understand." I said, trying to placate while still stifling the laughter that wouldn't cease.
"I'm here helping you and that…that…"
I gave him a dangerous look.
"She hit me!" He threw his arms up in the air in disbelief.
"From her perspective you had it coming."
He gave me a look.
"Oh please, you can't tell me you've never been slapped before!"
His response was to pull on the charming look, but I wasn't having any of it.
"Moving on…" I said, then hesitated as I began to breach the topic of the previous evening. "Last night…"
His face turned serious. "I know, the dream."
"You said you knew what was happening. I thought everything was taken care of?"
"So did I."
"But…?"
"There's a difficulty I forgot to consider."
I took a deep breath; this couldn't be good. "What kind of difficulty?"
It looked as though he were pondering the best way to handle the subject; he opened and shut his mouth once or twice. "The thing is…Marcus has, well he has an easier access to your mind than I do." It seemed to take a full minute to get all that out.
"What do you mean? Why?"
From the way Lestat looked at me I knew I wasn't going to like the answer. "Marcus has tasted your blood…" He broke off looking apologetic.
I thought about it for a second. "I'm not letting you bite me Lestat." I said point-blank, and I meant it.
"Of course not!" He shot back. "It just makes things more difficult."
"So what do we do? Or should I say what do you do?"
"I'm not sure…"
"Great." I sank back into the pillows. "Just great."
He shifted closer to my side of the couch. I was watching him like a hawk, but I didn't move.
I looked straight at him. "Lestat, tell me what happened."
He looked down, black hair shading half his face.
"Marcus said the music thing was just icing on the cake; what did you do?"
He looked up with that toothy smile and said, "I pissed off the wrong people."
"You're going to have to do better than that." I insisted. "I may be 'only human' but I am capable of understanding if you'll take the time to explain."
He shook his head. "That's just it…there are intricacies in vampire laws and relations that are…They're so old, I can barely even remember them."
"Lestat, that is a complete cop out answer."
He looked at me earnestly, moving closer yet again. "It's not! All I can say is that when you're immortal grudges go a long way."
"So that's all you're going to tell me? Surely I deserve a little more than that?"
"You do," he said, and then paused, thinking. "It's like me asking you to explain, I don't know, human gang rivalries. There just isn't a straight and logical answer. Do you understand?"
"I suppose." I allowed quietly, "Though I'm not satisfied." I added.
"Of course not." He smiled indulgently, "I wouldn't expect you to be."
With that I realized just how close we had become in proximity.
"Well," I said uncomfortably, "I'd best be off to bed."
I started to get up, but Lestat pulled me back to the couch. Before I knew what was happening he was full on kissing me. I was too shocked to react, but by the time I'd regained my senses it was too late.
He pulled back and with a characteristic grin said, "That's for laughing when your friend slapped me."