"Well." Veronica smacked her lips. "I forgot what it was like to be an immortal living in the real world."

Henry; his hands in his pockets; ponderously looked out at the street below him from his apartment window. "I usually read or watch T.V. Then I go to one of the neighbors nearby for just a sip of their blood or listen to some music."

"Wow! Just a sip?" Henry while his head around and glared at her with wide and questionable eyes. "Or are we talking metaphorically?" Veronica's voice lowered to a whisper.

"No." Henry's was soft and gracious. "I mean just a sip. I've learned I only need a drop of blood every so often throughout the day to survive." He got up to pace the small living room. "Think of it like I'm in a constant state of dehydration, but my body has adjusted to living that way, and before you start with something along the lines of its unhealthiness, I've lost any sense of need for that." He huffed, "I'm unkillable, so there's no need for picking the healthy options."

Veronica nodded. "I see you're not being cooked by the moonlight."

"Oh." Henry smiled, "Um." He took a deep breath. "I went to see this doctor who treated me. It was very painful." Veronica silence encouraged further development of the story. "She had me lay out in the sun for two years straight and then let it heal, but it had to heal in the sun."

Incredulously, Veronica muttered, "You would cower at a drop of sunlight, now you can bathe in it?" She half muttered it under her lips for it was her true and genuine disbelief of the notion. Henry nodded, proud of himself. "Wow." Veronica, licking her lips, "Well, I guess I'll take the night off, maybe pick up one of your books here," She pointed to the wall of what would be almost a hundred different books, "And see to the rest of the night." Henry nodded in approval.

She grabbed a random book: a book of Dickinson's poetry, waiting for Henry to object. Her shoulders tightened uncontrollably as she wandered to the bedroom and closed the door.

~~~~~~~

"Earl would like to see you, Henry." Angela briefly poked her head into Henry's office where he sat drinking his coffee.

That morning, Henry was surprised to find that Veronica hadn't stayed. He went out to spend the rest of the night feeding, taking blood from people in slow amounts, but when he walked through his apartment door, he was sullen to the fact that it was silent. He walked to work every day, huddled in the crowd of others on their way to their prospective futures, calling for cabs, or just focused on their destinations. Henry, on the other hand, was in his little world of thought: Edward. Edward was all that consumed his mind. Edward was all that he desired for. Without any joy behind his voice, he called back to Angela as she strutted in her black pencil skirt down the hall.

"What did Edw—Earl say he needed?" When she didn't answer, Henry turned to see the office gape at him with wide and bulging eyes.

Henry forgot what it was like to scare people, and the sight of him doing so made him uncomfortable. He quickly nodded and rushed to Edward's office.

"Sir! You needed me?" It was an abrupt and unannounced entry that startled Edward.

"Sit down, Henry." Edward stood at the edge of his desk.

His voice was smooth and seductive. Chocolate rushed from his mouth, soothing the atmosphere with his very natural being. His eyes were lazy with comfort, taking in something very appealing. Edward, despite being relaxed, was filled with an energy of anticipation. Henry sat down in the big sofa chair at the desk with Edward's thigh almost touching his knee.

"This. . ." Edward took a deep breath, slouching his back. ". . .might sound weird, but. . ." He paused, looking at his bookshelf briefly before facing Henry, "There's a business owner that wants to merge with us, and his guys are going to be at a luncheon in a couple of weeks. I need someone to go with, so I thought of you."

"Yes, of course."

Edward subtly squinted his eyes. "You don't need to take the promotion if you're not interested in it, but it's still on the table if you care for it."

Henry sat still for a second, remembering what Veronica told him, but then shook his head slowly, "No, thanks, I'm actually good with where I'm at now. I like the people I'm with. That sort of thing." There was something inside him that told him he was being bribed with that promotion and therefore wasn't comfortable with accepting it. He believed he didn't deserve it.

"How about becoming my assistant?" Edward raised his foot and placed it between Henry's legs, putting his elbow on his knee and leaning into Henry. "Same pay, same workspace. You can do as little as you want or as much as you want, and you can continue being an editor. Just less work of editing and more helping me run this department?"

"I'm. . .not so sure." Henry lifted his nose to Edward's eyes. He felt his heart in his chest swell.

A sudden realization hit Henry harder than a ten-ton truck: Edward had drunk his love potion. He internally slapped his face with his subconscious jumping up and down in excitement.

"Well, the offer will still be on the table." Edward's lips turned upwards at a slant. Ruffling sounds echoed from his foot etching its way up Henry's thigh.

Henry took a sharp inhale.

"What's it like to be an immortal?" Edward's gaze followed his foot up Henry's leg.

"It's—It's—fine, I suppose?" Henry shrugged. He felt lost in the transition between promotions and immortality. Edward ran his foot back down Henry's thigh, down his shin and tapped his foot. In effect, he lined Henry like a little mouse by the tail.

"How come you don't need an umbrella to block the sun anymore?" Edward reached his arm out, wrist up, allowing his throbbing veins to sit under Henry's nose.

"I—I—" Henry's body stiffened for he could smell Edward's blood. He felt his stomach flutter, and in anguish, Henry clutched his teeth. "I've been treated for it." He enunciated his words; a clear sign that it was a struggle to speak. Henry placed his palm over his mouth, resting his aching lips on it. They trembled in fear.

"It must be hard always being thirsty and alone. It must be so hard hiding your true nature, your true desires and intentions." Edward shifted to the armrest of Henry's chair. With care, Edward rubbed his wrist against Henry's jaw, circling up to his cheek and down to his lips.

Henry's face turned as he let down his hand, and when Edward touched his lips, he grabbed Edward's wrist and gently pushed him away.

"I'm not going to turn you, Edward."

"That's not what my intentions were. I was just trying to prove a point."

Henry got up from his chair abruptly while Edward was talking. "I!" Henry adjusted his jacket. He gulped, "Trust me, you don't want to live a life of a monster."

"I won't be a monster!" Edward stood up at the accusation. "What makes you think I'll become a monster who preys at night? Not with your help I won't."

Henry turned, eyeing Edward. "What makes you think I want to mother your monster?"

"Because no matter who's monster it is, I know you'd want to take care of me."

There was a long period of silence. Henry glared at Edward through his thick eyelashes and had a handsome scowl to match it. Edward felt his world crumble beneath him.

"You know so, or are you supposing so?" Henry left with his eyes still hanging on Edward tight.

As the door closed, Edward dropped his head into his hands.

Chapter 12

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