Chapter 2: The Theater

I really enjoyed the first date with Damien. I thought it'd be fun to hang out with him again. I smiled as I opened up Siingle to type out a message to him. Andrew interrupted by dropping an envelope into my lap. "Wait… this isn't a bill…?" I was confused. There was no one who would want to send us mail… right?

"It's from Damien," said Andrew.

"Really?" I closed my laptop and slid my fingers under the seams of the envelope. I opened it carefully and found a letter folded in threes. "A wax seal, aged paper, calligraphy? This guy goes all out," I commented.

"I take this to mean you like it that he sent you a letter?"

"Of course! I haven't received a letter from someone in so long. Plus… it's obvious just from looking at it that he spent a lot of time on this. He… was thinking of me."

"Well, come on, Mom. Read it!" Andrew was insistent as he plopped down on the couch beside me.

After overcoming my embarrassment and rising feelings, I read the letter aloud:

"'Dearest Carrie,

"'I hope you'll find my continued correspondence endearing, rather than trying. One can only hope that my use of the slower, more traditional form of communication will showcase my sincere and earnest sentiment that I greatly enjoyed our time together. I write this hastily under the warm embrace of excitement, fearful that I may misstep and speak toward something unwelcome. For now, I hope that you might forgive my boldness—I will simply say that your company has greatly occupied my thoughts. While the afternoon may have been derailed by forces unforeseen, your companionship helped a great deal; not only in the discipline of my child but in the morale of my spirit. And for that, I thank you. That said, Carrie, if you'll allow me, it would mean the world to me if I could enjoy more of your time. Perhaps a trip to the cinema followed by a moonlit stroll would be to your taste.

"'I eagerly await your response.

"'With great respect,

"'D. Bloodmarch.'"

It felt like he was speaking to me. I had forgotten the wonder, beauty, and personal touch to letters. I shook out of my stupor long enough to wonder what movie he was thinking on seeing. There were no tickets enclosed and he did not mention a specific movie in the letter. He was into foreign arthouse horror movies and he had a huge section in his library committed to horrors. That must be his favorite genre. What horror movies are out right now?

I perused the showtimes for this evening and saw what looked to be a cornball horror, even by today's high standards. He might like it…? It was called Vampire Crusade II: Evil Never Dies. Andrew commented on it, "You really gonna pick that for the movie? It's corny A.F."

"I appreciate how you censored yourself in front of your mother…" I said. I thought about the choice some more. I took a deep breath. It's probably something he'd want to see, isn't it? "What the heck, might as well." I purchased the tickets and printed them out.

"Here, Mom," said Andrew. He ripped out a piece of paper from one of his notebooks.

"So helpful…" I was so nervous.

"Hey, it'll be fine, Mom."

"Thank you." I took a deep breath and started writing:

Dearest Damien,

I do hope that this letter finds you in good health. I must confess of my amateur control of the written word, as well as my even more amateur penmanship. Your letter found me in good spirits, for I felt very much the same after our last encounter. While a strange turn of events, I found myself enamored of the situation at hand.

It would bring me great pleasure to escort you to the cinema. Enclosed you'll find two tickets to Vampire Crusade II: Evil Never Dies, which I'm sure you'll find both titillating and enjoyable.

Best Wishes,

Carrie Adams.

I put the letter and the tickets in an envelope. It's missing something… I thought. Before I could think on it further, I heard a lighter. I turned around to see Andrew with a lighter in one hand and one of my candles in the other. Once a little bit of wax collected, he carefully poured a little onto the envelope to seal it. "I'm not sure whether to be scared or proud," I said.

He shrugged. "Both works for me," he said. "Here, I'll deliver it." He stuck out his hand and I gave him the letter. "I should have kept my friendship with Carlos. We coulda delivered it to him by pigeon."

"I don't even wanna know if that's true," I said with a sigh. Andrew winked and headed out the door.

He came back a few minutes later. "Thank you, son. Now, we wait," I said.

I received a written reply acquiescing to the request and, that evening at a little before 8, I headed to the theater to meet with Damien. This time, I wore a white dress with bright cherry blossoms on it. I regretted not bringing a coat the moment I noticed how cold the theater was in comparison to outside.

As I'm lost in my own thoughts, I hear someone say, "How do you do?" I jumped and turned around to see Damien standing there.

"You startled me," I said.

"My apologies for frightening you. Are you all right?" he asked. I must have looked worse than I felt.

"I'm all right." I smiled and felt the color return to my cheeks.

He nodded with a smile. "I must thank you again for purchasing the tickets. Please, allow me to return the favor with some candy or popcorn."

"That sounds nice," I said, feeling the blush return as I smiled at him.

As we stood in line to buy snacks, I heard a familiar voice behind us. "Ugh, my dad's here…" I turned to see Lucien with some friends of his. Damien turned as well.

"Lucien, how nice to see you. I didn't know you would be coming to the theater. I'm glad to see you spending some quality time with your friends," said Damien.

"Whatever, Dad," replied Lucien.

"And what movie will you be attending tonight?"

"My friends are making me see some kid's movie about talking animals. I don't really care about it."

"Well, I do hope you enjoy your evening. We'll be watching Vampire Crusade II: Evil Never Dies."

"You are watching that?"

"Yeah, I thought Damien would enjoy it," I chimed in.

Lucien laughed, "Ha! Good luck with that, Dad." He goes back to his friends and I turn to Damien.

"Good luck with what?" I asked.

"It's nothing. You know sons, they love to tease," he played it off.

"Yeah…" We wait in line a little longer and Damien buys us snacks. He seems unsettled as we head to the theater. I wonder if I picked the wrong movie. I couldn't have. He's a horror guy… right?

Damien only gets more unsettled as we get in our seats to watch the previews. I was a little unsettled to begin with since horror wasn't exactly my favorite genre. I was lucky to watch lesser horrors with Daniel, let alone box office hits like this. Damien getting nervous only spiked my nervousness. But why is he getting nervous?

I decided to outright ask him, "Is everything okay?" He and I made eye contact.

"Everything is perfectly fine. I'm just so… excited for this film. I'm a devoted patron of the arts. Especially the scary arts. The scarier the art, the better," he replied.

"Do you have a favorite horror movie?"

"I… of course I have a favorite horror movie. Mine is… Halloweentown. Terrifying."

"Oh, interesting." That was one of the movies I had switched to, bored, one Halloween. I turned it off since it was getting dumb. It never struck me as scary. Something is off here…

Only one thing made sense. I had to ask, even if I got laughed at. "Damien, are you… scared of horror movies?" I asked.

He scoffed. "You must be joking, I love horror movies."

Then, the previews end and the lights dim to darkness for the movie. I nearly fall out of my chair when I hear a scream. It had been Damien, beside me. I gripped the armrest, hard.

"I apologize, I was thinking about something far scarier than this movie. Which is not scary. At all," he said. He seemed desperate to convince me. I was nearly scared enough to suggest we leave.

He's scared, I'm scared, but if he's so determined to try to be brave for me, shouldn't I let him? Unless he's trying to be brave for himself, to prove himself. Either way, he's not going to leave the theater of his own volition.

I had read the reviews of the movie. Maybe I could act sick? If it got as bloody as they were saying, I might not have to act. Gore scenes in movies usually had me barfing, if not very sick.

The movie begins and I offer Damien some of my box candy. He holds out his hand shakily and I pour a few into his palm. He's sweating too. He really has to prove himself, doesn't he? I take his hand into my own. He jumps.

"Carrie! Your hands are chilled!" He comments, shocked.

I didn't even notice how cold I had been getting. As the opening credits rolled, Damien removed his cloak and put it over my shoulders. I huddled into it. He wrapped an arm around me and rubbed my arm, trying to warm me.

"Thank you," I said with a smile and a slight blush.

"Not at all, my dear," he replied. "Never hesitate to ask for anything." I looked away, bashful. He still held me.

He seemed to realize this since he pulled away and turned his attention back to the movie. There were a lot of cornball parts in the movie. However, we got to a tense moment in the movie where a vampire slit someone's throat. Damien grabbed my arm. I was only momentarily distracted, however. I understand why this gets an R rating now… The gore just got worse.

I felt hot and cold. I was sweating while shivering. I could see the blood onscreen and practically smell it. It reminded me of other gross things. "Damien… I don't feel well," I said quickly.

He looked to me concerned. "Let's get you some fresh air. This way," he said. He guided me out of the theater and into the empty hall.

"I need to sit down," I said, surprised at how weak my voice sounded. He helped me sit against a wall. I sank to the floor and tried to forget what I had just seen. I didn't realize how tightly I had been clutching his cloak or how much I had been shivering or how that ick feeling just wouldn't go away.

"This way," he said. He guided me to the ladies' room. I gave him his cloak and made a beeline for a stall, not even bothering to shut the door. It wasn't long and it all came out. I also noticed that Damien was holding my hair back and running a hand up and down my back, gently while soothing me with words.

When I had finished, I flushed the toilet and sat down on the floor. Damien went away a moment, but came back with a wet paper towel. He dabbed at the sweat on my forehead and wiped off my lips. He threw it away. "Are you all right to make it into the lobby?" he asked.

I nodded. He helped me up and supported me. We made it back to the theater lobby and he sat me down on a bench. My mouth tasted foul, but I felt better. I put my head in my hands and stared at the floor, trying to get my normal breathing back.

Damien came back to me with a bottle of water. I sipped at it slowly and he kneeled to my eye-level. "I'm sorry I did that," I said.

"There is nothing to apologize for. You weren't feeling well. I was more than happy to help," he said.

"I guess I'm just a little squeamish when it comes to excessive gore," I said, ashamed.

He put his hands on my shoulders. "My dear, never be ashamed to tell me if something is wrong." He seemed to want to add something, but thought better of it. "Perhaps we should cut this night short and see that you get home and get some rest."

"No!" That was too quick. "I mean, no. I, uh…" I took a deep breath. "I don't want the night to end yet. I think a little fresh air would do me good. I don't want to…" I don't wanna leave you yet. "I don't want to let something so trivial end our date." I stood, perhaps too quickly. He caught me and supported me in his arms. He gave me his cloak again.

"You are sure?" he asked.

I nodded. I gave him the most pleading eyes I could muster. He guided me outside and the night air really did help. The fresh air helped me forget those bad smells and sensations. I breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly.

Damien seemed to sense that I was doing a little better. He still held my hand though as he walked me down the street. He seemed to be keeping secret where we were going pretty well.

"It's a beautiful night," I commented, feeling my spirits rise.

"As beautiful as the company, yes," he replied. He's so smooth! And his voice… I had a hard time coming up with a proper response.

When I did respond, it was a bashful stutter. "Th-thank you."

I couldn't look at him, but I could tell he was looking at me. "No… problem."

We turned a corner and stood at the gates of a cemetery. "A little bit of Victorian flavor, trust me," he said.

He leads me through the cemetery with the confidence of someone who's been here many times before. This was a different cemetery than the one Daniel was buried in, I knew, but it still made me sad. I felt something different when Damien led me to a small clearing on a hill overlooking the city: peace. This felt oddly romantic, despite the setting.

Damien sat me down gently and I smiled at how beautiful it all was. Then, from his vest pocket, he pulled a small sleeve of crackers. "Here, have some," he offered.

"Thanks," I said, feeling my face heat up again. I took one and ate it slowly while taking a few sips of water. "I apologize, again, for the night not going as well as we'd hoped."

"My dear, Carrie, I know what happened was unforeseen and I don't blame you for it. I am enjoying my evening with you, truly," he said.

"Thank you."

He changed the subject. "In the Victorian era, there were no public art galleries, parks, or botanical gardens to speak of. Once rural graveyards became a more popular alternative to church burials, they became the one place where people could see beautiful plant life and fine sculptures."

"That makes sense. It is really nice here.

"I have a question though: How are you so okay with being in a graveyard when you were so upset over a scary movie?"

He seemed taken aback. "I… I wasn't…" he sighed, resigned. "Okay, yes, I was extremely scared by that movie. I just… have never been good at those. I just felt as if, because of how I look and act, people expect me to love horror films, so I must play the part. Truth be told, my constitution for it is not much stronger than yours." I detected a small amount of teasing behind his honesty.

"That's okay, really," I said, putting my hand on his. "If I had known I would have suggested another movie… I'm sorry." I pulled away.

"It's quite all right, really." He was so patient with me. "Graveyards, however. I think there's something rather beautiful about death. Cemeteries are traditionally built away from the cities, keeping the dead and the living separated. To acknowledge death and become comfortable with it, I think, gives us a certain intimate knowledge of ourselves. To sit amongst generations of those who came before us, to be truly alive in the midst of death, brings me great comfort. Death helps me to appreciate life. To savor every second."

It had been some time since I had felt this comfortable being in a graveyard, let alone a graveyard at night. It was peaceful. Sitting here with Damien while he expounded on death, eating crackers… it wasn't a bad date at all.

Suddenly, I feel something's eyes on us. I look across the graveyard to see a set of glowing eyes in the distance. I huddle closer to Damien. "What is that?" I ask.

"I'm… not sure," he replies. He seems just as unsettled as I am. Then, the creature starts running toward us, I back further into Damien and he holds me close to him (though whether to protect me or because he was just as scared, I wasn't quite sure).

The creature begins to take shape and lets out a small bark. "It's a dog," said Damien. It turns out to be an adorable little Boston Terrier. Its owner comes running toward us.

I pull myself slightly away from Damien as the dog investigates us. Damien and I pet the dog. He seems to really like dogs and the dog seems to really like him. I was quickly forgetting how close to Damien I had really gotten.

"What a beautiful dog!" said Damien happily.

"Hey," The dog's owner had finally caught up. We look up to see Robert. "Thanks," he says.

"Robert! What are you doing out here on this lovely evening?" asked Damien.

"Hunting cryptids," replied Robert.

"What?" I ask, not sure I heard right.

"What?" he asks.

I decide to touch on a different subject. "I didn't know you had a dog," I commented.

"This isn't my dog. I found her in the streets. I put a leash on her and now we're walking through this graveyard together. Hunting cryptids," replied Robert.

"Uh huh…" I say.

"May I give her a treat?" asked Damien.

"Sure," replied Robert.

Damien reaches into his cloak's pocket, which I realize is still on my shoulders, and pulls out a small dog treat. He has pockets in this? And I didn't notice?! Meanwhile, the dog seems to love the treat, its little tail wagging furiously. Damien pets her with a serene smile on his face.

"Thanks," said Robert.

"My absolute pleasure," replied Damien. He then shakes the dog's paw. "Lovely to meet you, my friend. May our paths cross again." Robert and the little dog head off into the night. Damien watches them go.

"I didn't know you liked dogs," I commented.

"Victorians loved dogs, actually. Most Victorian women of high fashion would always be accompanied by a small dog such as a terrier or a Maltese," replied Damien. "I… uh… think big dogs are nice too."

"Yeah, me too! I love dogs," I smile.

"I do believe we've had enough excitement for one night. What say we make our way home?" Damien hops to his feet and extends a hand to help me up. I take it and stand, any earlier sickness officially gone. As we walk out, I give one last look to the graveyard. Yeah… this was nice. Really beautiful.

Damien is no less the gentleman as he walks me home. He takes me straight to my doorstep. "Thank you, ever so kindly, for your company tonight," he says.

"Damien, it was my pleasure," I say with a small curtsy. I take off his cloak and hand it back to him. He gingerly takes it.

"Carrie, if you'll allow me, it would bring me great joy to offer you a token of my affection." He reaches into his cloak and pulls out a folded, monogrammed handkerchief. He presses it into my hand.

"Wow. Thank you, Damien. I will use this to dry my tears for those I have lost."

"A noble purpose." He shuffles his feet. Now he's the one being bashful. "I… just want to say that it's rare… finding someone like you. Someone who's open to my… eccentricities. It's… nice to feel so accepted. Um. Thank you." Damien gives my hand a quick squeeze. He blushes and hastily retracts his hand. "Uh… I must take my leave. Good night."

Before I can say anything else, he's gone. Even after he goes into his house, I feel the warmth of his hand and his cloak on me. "Huh." I open my door and head inside.

I nearly run over Andrew on the way in. "So, how'd it go?" he asked, trying to act nonchalant.

"You can admit you were watching us and listening," I said, feeling the blush creep back.

"Yeah, yeah, I did that. How'd it go?"

"Movie wasn't all that great. We walked out on it." This was true. Andrew doesn't need to know that both Damien and I were terrified of the movie or that I had gotten sick, probably not even halfway through the movie. "We then took a walk through a graveyard, which was nice. He told me how the Victorians liked to go there to socialize and appreciate art."

"Cool."

"We also saw a dog. Cutest Boston Terrier ever."

"Did you take a picture?"

"No, sorry."

"That's okay. Next time."

"Totally." Probably not. I'm usually too distracted by the cuteness to take pictures. I liked tonight's date though. Everything went well, comparatively speaking. I wished it didn't have to end. I wanted to see him again. I hoped I would see him soon.

That's all for now! Please keep reading and leave some reviews for me, let me know what you think!

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