by Aidan Wayne
“Hey, it’s okay,” Darren said, sitting down too. A little away from Vlad. And hopefully downwind. “We can figure this out. In fact,” he said, lighting on an idea, “we don’t even have to. By ourselves, I mean. We can call Charlie! That’s the whole point of having a vampire tutor, right? We can go to him for this stuff!”
Vlad looked shocked. “I did not even think of that.”
Darren smiled gently. “Well, that’s why you’ve got me. Do you have his number?” Vlad nodded. “Do you want to call him now?” Vlad took a deep breath and nodded again.
They ended up putting Vlad’s cell on speakerphone, crowding next to each other as it rang.
“Hello?”
Vlad swallowed. “Hello, Charlie? It is Vlad. Is this a bad time?”
“Of course not, Vlad. What can I do for you?”
“I had a question,” Vlad said.
“Yes?”
“When I first met Darren—” Vlad took a breath. “—I… wanted to bite him. I don’t think it was because I wanted a meal. And recently it has been happening again. Not… not wanting to eat, but still wanting to bite. I was wondering if you knew why I might… want to do that.”
“Hmm.” Charlie sounded like he was mulling it over. “Ah, when you first met, did you know about Darren’s glamour?”
“No.”
“That’s it,” Charlie said. “You saw one thing but sensed something else. When you were unable to use your powers to understand what you were sensing, your instinct was to bite, to figure Darren out. Like a baby putting a toy in its mouth. And now that you’re starting to practice glamour, you’re trying to reconcile the power you’re learning to recognize with how you see Darren as a person.”
“Oh,” Vlad said, shooting Darren a look he couldn’t quite catch. “That makes a lot of sense. Thank you. I’d been wondering about it.”
“And worrying too, I’m guessing?” Charlie said gently.
Vlad dipped his head. “Yes.”
“It probably doesn’t help that Darren’s glamour is a little… unusual,” Charlie said. “But once you have better control over glamour, things should settle again, since you won’t be as sensitive to it. Unless… are you worried you might be tempted to bite him, in the meantime?”
“No,” Vlad said shortly.
“All right, then. Why don’t we talk more about this at our next session,” Charlie said. “Unless you have any other questions?”
“No,” Vlad said. “Thank you. I’m sorry for bothering you.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Vlad,” Charlie said. “Feel free to call at any time.” The call disconnected.
“Feel better?” Darren asked carefully.
“I am sorry,” Vlad said, hanging his head. “None of this was your fault. I didn’t mean to act badly.”
“I’m just glad you weren’t mad at me,” Darren said honestly. “And hey, this way you know what’s going on, right?”
Vlad rubbed at his face. “Yes. I’m glad there’s an explanation. And that it should be fixed soon. I will just have to work extra hard to master glamour. I… think it will go easier, now that I don’t have to wonder.”
“Great!” Darren leaned back on his heels. But, because he had to ask, “…and no worries about biting me?”
“I meant what I said.” Vlad met Darren’s eyes this time, holding his gaze. “I can control myself. I’m not going to bite anyone.”
“All right, then, well… good. Cool. So.” Darren tilted his head. “Ready for more glamour practice?”
“HEY, VLAD, do you wanna come over and watch a movie or something?”
“I thought you had plans to go to out for ice cream with Bethany and Trisha and Marco,” Vlad said. “To celebrate the last day of school?”
Darren sighed and adjusted the phone under his ear. “We did, but… well. Marco accidentally ate something with peanut oil in it during a class party and had to go to the ER. He’s okay, but he’s taking it easy; Trish is over at his house. And Beth’s parents surprised her and her brother Sean with a trip up north. They literally showed up at school with Layla, bags all packed. They’re gonna be gone till Saturday.”
“Wow,” Vlad said.
“Yeah. So first afternoon of summer vacation and I’m by myself, no plans, all alone. Hint hint.”
Vlad was quiet for a long time.
“Vlad? Hello? Did we get disconnected or—”
“Would you still like to go?”
“Go what?”
“Out,” Vlad said. “For ice cream.”
“What you—you mean it?” Vlad had gotten way better, freely coming over to Darren’s house and going to the woods without issue; he’d even been over to Trish’s house a few times and had met Marco, along with Mr. and Mrs. Piatek, Trish’s parents. But he’d still been leery about going outside his comfort zone, and Darren hadn’t pushed. “I—yeah! Yeah, that’d be awesome!”
“Okay,” Vlad said. “I’ll come over?”
“Yeah! Come on over. I’ll get stuff ready.”
When Vlad showed up ten minutes later, he discovered that “get stuff ready” meant bicycles. Darren had already strapped on his helmet. He held another one out to Vlad.
“My dad’s tires weren’t inflated,” he said. “And I don’t know where the pump is, so I just got out my mom’s gear—” Vlad was staring at the bike. “Oh crap, you know how to bike, don’t you? I totally forgot to ask.”
Vlad shook his head and took the helmet. “No, I can. It has just been some time. I don’t know if I still remember how.”
“What, are you kidding?” Darren grinned. “You actually can’t forget. That’s why it’s a saying. I’m serious. I know people who got on bikes after literal decades and were fine. I don’t think you have to worry about it.”
“Mm,” Vlad said, adjusting the straps of his helmet. “Is it far? To the ice cream shop?”
“Worried you’ll poop out on me?” Darren teased. “Nah. Couple of miles. Scoop’d—the one I was going to go to with everyone—is this gourmet place in the center of town, right near the school. But it’ll be crawling with kids. I don’t wanna wait an hour for ice cream. There’s a chain ice cream place off Birch Street. I figured we’d go there. The ice cream’s still pretty good, and it’ll probably be less busy.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Darren threw a leg over his bike. “Come on, let’s go!” He biked to the end of the driveway and waited there, looking over his shoulder, until Vlad rolled his eyes and mounted his borrowed bike. After a few wobbles he was just fine, and he biked up next to Darren, who started off, setting an easy pace.
“What’d I say?” Darren said with a grin, glancing over at Vlad. “Easy as pie.”
“I had trouble just baking a cake,” Vlad said, lips quirked. “I doubt pie is all that easy.”
“Ha! Fair enough. Come on, we turn left at this block to get onto Birch.”
Darren kept glancing over to check on Vlad as they biked, but though Vlad looked like he was concentrating hard, it didn’t seem like he was too uncomfortable. Vlad noticed him looking.
“What?” he asked. “Do I look funny?”
“Not even close,” Darren said honestly. “You’re a natural.”
Vlad shrugged, but he was smiling.
“I lived in a more rural area,” he said. “Cycling was how I got around.”
“Oh my god, Vlad, you need to tell me these things. We basically live in woodland that’s accidentally got a town in it. There are walking and biking trails everywhere. We could have been doing this for weeks!”
“I don’t have a bicycle here,” Vlad said.
“Uh, what do you think you’re doing now?” Darren asked. “You can borrow until you get one. I promise my parents aren’t going to mind. And I can show you around.”
“That would be nice,” Vlad said after a moment. “I like being outside.”
“It really is a good thing the sun doesn’t make you go poof, then,” Darren said.
Vlad coughed a laugh
.
“Oh hey,” Darren said, pointing. “There it is. We just need to cross at this light.” They dismounted and walked across the intersection, Vlad following Darren to the little strip mall.
“Let’s lock our bikes up here,” Darren said, kneeling at the bike rack. He locked up both bikes and then stood, taking off his helmet, his hair mashed flat from the trip over. Vlad snickered.
“What?” Darren ran a hand through his hair. “So I’ve got helmet hair. It’s a thing. Not all of us can rock the ‘basically a crew cut’ look,” he said, eyeing the tight black curls Vlad kept shorn closely to his head. “You’re just lucky your head’s symmetrical.”
“Is yours not?” Vlad asked with a grin, following Darren inside the ice cream shop.
“I wouldn’t know,” Darren said loftily. “Last time I was bald, I was a baby. Hi, Romina,” he said to the girl behind the counter. “How’s it feel to be done for another year?”
“It’d feel better if I had the afternoon off to celebrate,” Romina grumbled. Her bright orange eyes narrowed at him before she straightened up, long black hair swinging behind her.
“Aw,” Darren said. “But hey, three months of freedom, right?”
She shrugged, attention on Vlad.
“Who’s your friend?” she asked, smiling at him, displaying even, pointed teeth.
Vlad stood up a little straighter, the posture he got when he wasn’t comfortable but was gonna power through it anyway. “I am Vlad,” he told her. He even managed a polite smile. Darren was so proud of him.
Romina smiled back. “Very nice to meet you,” she said. “I love your accent. Are you visiting for the summer or something?”
“Ah… yes,” Vlad said. “I am staying with my cousin.”
And okay, if Vlad wanted that to be the story, Darren was cool with it. “I’m showing him around now that I’m out of school,” Darren said, putting a hand on Vlad’s shoulder. “And I figured, what’s the best place to go to first? Ice cream!”
“Well, take your pick,” Romina said. “Feel free to ask for a sample of something,” she added, smiling at Vlad again.
“Thank you,” Vlad said politely, bending down to look at the options.
Darren already knew what he wanted; he tended to alternate between the same three flavors, depending on his mood, so he waited for Vlad to make up his mind before ordering.
“Do you have the ingredients for the daiquiri ice?” Vlad asked Romina politely. “I have a few things I do not eat.”
“Of course,” she said, ducking behind the counter to pull out a metal ring full of laminated placards. She flipped through it and then handed it over. Vlad read through it while Darren felt kind of like a moron.
“I’d like a scoop of the daiquiri ice, please,” Vlad said, handing the placards back. “In a cup.”
“Sure thing,” she said, tucking the list away again. “So, special diet?” She looked him up and down appreciatively. “Are you an athlete?”
“Ah….”
“Allergies,” Darren cut in when Vlad floundered. “That I, luckily, do not have.” He grinned at her. “Scoop of strawberry cheesecake in a waffle cone, please and thank you. And ring us up together,” he added, pulling out his wallet.
Vlad turned to him. “But—”
Darren waved off the ensuing disagreement. “It’s my treat. You can get the next one.”
“Here you go,” Romina said, handing over their orders before ringing them up. She handed Darren his receipt and, as they were making their way back outside, called out, “Vlad?”
“Yes?” Vlad asked, turning to look at her.
“Give me a call if you get sick of Darren and want another person to hang out with, okay?”
“Okay,” Vlad said, looking nonplussed before beating a hasty retreat, Darren close on his heels.
Vlad made sure they reached a part of the curb that wasn’t within view of the ice cream shop’s window before sitting down, looking flustered.
“She totally had a thing for you.” Darren grinned, mostly to break the tension. “Your first time out in the world and girls are already falling at your feet. Trisha totally called it.”
Vlad was staring at his ice cream cup. “She really gave me a phone number,” he said, sounding astonished.
“Clearly she thought you were hot enough to merit it,” Darren said, taking a happy lick of his ice cream.
Vlad frowned down at his cup.
“I’m pretty sure she didn’t, like, get her cooties in your sorbet, Vlad.” Darren paused. “Wait, you can eat that, right?”
Vlad nodded. “It’s fine, just frozen water and flavorings. It isn’t good for me but once in a while is okay.” He smiled shyly at Darren. “I texted Charlie to ask, just in case.”
“So much to celebrate!” Darren said, lifting his cone to Vlad’s cup. “So try some. That’s the whole point of victory ice cream.” Vlad took a spoonful. “And? Verdict?”
“It’s not bad,” Vlad said. “Very sweet.” His lips quirked. “I’m not used to sweet anymore. How is yours?”
“Great,” Darren said, punctuating it with another lick. “But then again, I knew that. I am very set in my ways when it comes to ice cream.”
“Oh?”
“Mm-hm. Chocolate chip cookie dough, strawberry cheesecake, chocolate moose tracks. And occasionally mint chocolate something, if my dad buys it, because I like it, but usually I forget it exists unless it is actually in our freezer.”
“Mm. I used to like mint too, but I can’t have it anymore.”
“Really? Why?”
Vlad made a face. “Peppermint oil is sort of like garlic.”
“Oh. Okay, yeah, I will keep that in mind.” Note to self: never offer Vlad mint chewing gum.
They drifted into companionable silence, leisurely eating their ice cream. When Vlad was finished with his, he got up to throw the cup away.
“Not gonna save the number?” Darren asked, crunching away on his cone.
Vlad shook his head, glancing back at Darren “She’s… not my type.”
Darren shrugged and finished off his cone. “You want to bike around a little more before we head back? We’ve got loads of time.”
Vlad smiled. “That’d be nice. You can show me around. More places.”
“Heh, no sweat.” Darren bent over to unlock the bikes and froze, a crackle of energy running through him. He jerked his head up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Thunderstorm,” Darren breathed. The weeds in the cracks of the pavement at his feet sprang up at attention. “Not yet, but—soon. I just know. It’s gonna be big. We might want to just stick around here. I don’t think we’d be able to get home before it hit.”
Vlad was watching him carefully. “Would it be dangerous? To bike through it?”
Darren shook his head. “Nah, just wet.” He smiled ruefully. “I’ve biked in storms before. It’s a rush. Sometimes it’s like—the wind and rain make me go faster.” He shook his head. “But yeah, no, no lightning if that’s what you’re worried about it. If anyone got hit, it’d be me.”
“You’ve been hit by lightning?”
“Only once.” Darren sighed, staring wistfully up at the sky. “I was buzzing for days after. Slept outside for a week to pour out some of the energy. Our garden was crazy that year. And don’t you dare tell my parents,” he added. “They thought it was because it was around the time I started my period. I already swore Trish and Beth to secrecy.”
“Why wouldn’t you tell your parents something like that?” Vlad asked, eyes wide.
“Are you kidding? I’d never be allowed out in a storm again.”
“And you… enjoyed it?”
“What, the lightning?” Darren sighed dreamily again. “Yeah.”
Vlad stared at him for a moment before nodding decisively. “Let’s go, then.”
“Huh?”
Vlad grinned at him. “Let’s bike through your storm.”
“Wha—” Darren twisted ar
ound, the bike chains dangling from one hand. “Are you serious?”
Vlad nodded. “If you’d like.”
“Okay, that’s it, I’m in love with you,” Darren said, jumping to his feet and grabbing his bike. “C’mon, we want to be off the main road before it hits. Trust me, it’ll be way better.”
They had just turned off Birch when there was a loud clap of thunder, signaling the coming of the storm, the sky darkening all at once.
“You sure you’re sure?” Darren asked as the wind started to pick up. “This might be a little intense.”
“It’s a bit late now,” Vlad replied, amused.
Darren breathed deep and glanced up at the sky. “Yeah, that’s true. Here it comes.”
They were both soaked instantly, heavy raindrops pelting down on them as they biked back underneath the downpour.
“How’re you doing?” Darren called over the rain.
“Wet!” Vlad yelled back, laughter coloring his voice.
Darren reveled in the rain, giddy with glee and the buzz under his skin as they reached his house and stowed the bikes in the garage, Vlad smiling, soaking wet right along with him, and it hit Darren all at once that wow he really wanted to kiss Vlad.
He managed to play it cool all through going inside and upstairs and setting Vlad up with a towel and change of clothes—Vlad in his clothes asghlklgf—before excusing himself, saying, “Oh man, sorry, I totally forgot. I promised I’d email Trisha some videos I found. My laptop’s downstairs—give me two minutes?” and bolting into the basement to call Trisha up in a panic.
“Trish? Hi. Hello. Help.”
“Darren? What’s wrong?”
“I think I like Vlad,” he said in a rush as he dripped on the basement floor. “As in, no-holds-barred crush. On Vlad. My friend. My super shy about people friend. Who is also probably straight. Help me. I need to not make this weird. I don’t even know what to do with crush-like feelings!”
“I suppose talking to him is out,” Trisha said tentatively.
“Oh course it’s out! I can’t talk to him about it. He’ll freak and, like, move back to Ukraine. Or go back to holing himself up in Tabby’s house. Or he won’t and he’ll actually keep being kinda-social but not with me. That’d be the worst!”