Jean fell silent.
His eyes were fixed on the ground while Tesia stood in front of him, maintaining that ridiculously charming pose as she showed off her fangs. However, when she noticed that Jean wasn't answering, her smile slowly began to fade.
"I…"
Tesia stopped showing her fangs.
"Yes?"
Jean took a deep breath.
"I guess I don't have a choice…"
Tesia's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
She looked genuinely happy.
Jean raised his gaze slightly.
"I guess I'll have to die."
Tesia's expression changed completely.
"WHAT?!"
Jean turned around and started walking toward the edge.
"Well, then…"
"YOU IDIOT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Tesia grabbed his hand before he could take another step.
Jean tried to keep walking.
"Let go of me."
"No!"
"But you said I had two options."
"Yes, but I didn't think you'd actually pick THAT one!"
Tesia pulled on his arm and managed to drag him away from the edge.
"Do you really prefer to die?!"
Her expression had changed. She wasn't smiling anymore.
Jean looked at her.
…
Tesia took a deep breath, still holding onto him.
"You really don't have to—"
Jean interrupted her.
"But... I just can't be your boyfriend."
Tesia blinked.
Jean lowered his gaze.
"I'm not a good… boyfriend."
"What?"
"I just got out of a relationship two weeks ago..."
His voice became quieter.
"And I can't trust anyone anymore."
Tesia remained silent.
Jean continued.
"It wouldn't be fair to you if I agreed to be your boyfriend when I can't even trust you. I don't want to waste your time."
Tesia stared at him.
"Jean…"
"And besides…"
Jean looked up at her.
"If you really are a vampire, then you're an extraordinary being."
He gestured toward her slightly.
"Look at you. You can fly, you're probably stronger than I can even imagine, and who knows what else you can do. I'm just some ordinary human. A human who's not good boyfriend material."
Tesia opened her mouth to respond, but Jean continued before she could.
"So no. It's not possible."
He looked back toward the edge.
"I'm sorry."
He took a step.
"I have to die."
"NO!"
Tesia grabbed him by his clothes again and pulled him back.
"AGAIN?!"
Jean lost his balance and nearly crashed into her.
"Hey!"
"Stop trying to die!"
"I'm not trying to die!"
"You just said you had to die!"
"Because you said it was one of the options! And I'd rather die on my own terms than let you kill me who knows how!"
Although… she is pretty cute. Maybe getting bitten by her wouldn't be such a bad way to go…
For a brief moment, Jean imagined Tesia leaning close to his neck, her lips brushing against his skin before sinking her fangs into him.
…Actually, that doesn't sound half bad.
Tesia went silent.
…
Jean did too.
…
Tesia slowly let go of Jean's clothes.
"Well…"
She cleared her throat.
"I was joking about the dying part."
Jean stared at her.
"..."
"It was a joke."
"Uh... a joke?"
"Yes."
"You were threatening to kill me... as a joke?"
"More or less."
Jean put a hand over his face.
"Oh my God… I feel like such an idiot."
Tesia let out a small laugh.
"But then…"
She looked at him again.
"You've been coming here every day for the past two weeks because you broke up with your girlfriend?"
Jean lowered his gaze.
"Yeah."
Tesia fell silent.
"Hmm…"
She lowered her head slightly.
"First... I ask that without thinking."
Jean looked at her.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you or reopened a wound that was only just starting to heal."
"Don't worry about it."
Jean smiled faintly.
"How could you have known?"
Tesia turned around.
"Yeah…"
Jean couldn't see it, but the moment she turned her back to him, her expression changed.
She became nervous.
There was absolutely something that she didn't want to tell him.
Like she already knew that Jean had broken up with his girlfriend. In fact, that was one of the reasons she had started visiting him on the rooftop every day without him realizing it.
She had seen him come back again and again with that sad look in his eyes. Recently alone and always wearing that expression of someone who had too many things on his mind.
And Tesia was curious.
Very curious.
But Jean didn't need to know that yet.
"Well…"
Jean broke the silence.
"Boyfriends are off the table."
Tesia turned her head.
"Huh?"
Jean put his hands in his pockets.
"But we can try being friends."
A vampire friend, ¡Yey!
Tesia froze.
"Friends?"
"Yeah."
She stared at him for a few seconds.
"You want us to be friends?"
"Only if you want..."
Tesia kept looking at him.
Damn... She's crearly upset...
In reality...
She wasn't used to that.
The people she usually met reacted very differently when they saw her. Some tried to impress her. Others tried to flirt with her. Some couldn't even hold a normal conversation.
But this human…
This human had just rejected the possibility of being her boyfriend and, instead, offered her his friendship.
Tesia covered her mouth with one hand.
She tried to hold it in.
She couldn't.
She started laughing.
"What?" Jean asked. "What did I say?"
"Nothing, nothing."
Tesia was still laughing.
Thank God she's not mad… Wait… what if vampires laugh when they're angry?
"So, is that a yes?"
She took a deep breath and finally managed to calm down.
"Friends, huh?"
She smiled.
"Hahaha… okay."
She held out her hand.
"Let's be friends, Jean."
Jean looked at her.
Then he looked at her hand.
Finally, he smiled.
"Nice to meet you, new friend."
He shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Tesia."
For some reason, Jean felt relieved.
He wasn't looking for another relationship. He wasn't even interested, although the offer was admittedly very tempting. Very tempting. But after what had happened with Jess, the whole idea of romance made him feel sick.
Jean looked at her again.
A vampire...
A real one...
"So you're… a vampire."
"Yep!"
Tesia answered with an energy that didn't match the seriousness of their conversation at all.
Jean couldn't help but smile a little.
"Can you show me?"
Tesia's eyes widened.
"You want me to bite you?"
"What?!"
Probably not a bad idea... No, no, no.
Jean stepped back.
"No, no! I mean… can you show me something else vampires can do?"
Tesia giggled.
"Ohhh."
She touched a finger to her lips.
"Okay."
Jean sighed.
"Thanks."
"But first…"
Tesia pulled out her phone.
"We need to exchange numbers."
"Why?"
"So we can talk."
"Talk?"
"Yes. If we're going to be friends… what's so weird about that?"
"I don't know. I just didn't expect vampires to use cell phones…"
I wonder if she can take selfies.
Jean pulled out his phone.
"I guess that makes sense."
Tesia started dictating her number.
Jean saved it as:
Tesia "Vampire" Friend
He stared at the contact.
…
He couldn't help but laugh.
"What?" Tesia asked.
"Nothing."
Jean shook his head.
"It's just…"
He looked at his phone again.
"I can't believe I'm saving the number of a vampire."
Tesia smiled.
"Believe it."
Jean put his phone again on his pocket.
But then he thought about something else.
It's hard to believe, but… if she really wasn't that extraordinary…
He looked at Tesia.
How would she have saved me?
The question was still there.
It didn't make sense.
He had fallen from a building.
He had felt the fall himself.
And she had appeared right there.
Jean frowned slightly.
Then why am I still doubting it? Is it just my human nature?
He didn't find an answer, but…
"Come oooon!"
Jean looked up.
Tesia had grabbed his hand.
"Where?"
"I'm going to show you something."
"Show me wh—"
"Come on."
Before Jean could ask anything else, Tesia pulled him into her arms.
"Huh?"
And then his feet left the ground.
"AAAAaaaaaaa!"
Jean's eyes widened.
"WE'RE F-F-FLYING?!"
"Yep!"
"WHY?!"
"BECAUSE I'M A VAMPIRE!"
Jean squeezed his eyes shut.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God… help, help, help. I don't like this!"
"You idiot!"
The wind began hitting his face as they ascended.
Jean was so tense that his entire body had practically curled up in Tesia's arms. He tried to look down, but the moment he saw the distance between them and the ground, he squeezed his eyes shut again.
"No, no, no…"
Then he felt something soft pressing against him.
He slowly opened his eyes.
He looked down.
And realized that, in the middle of his panic, he had practically buried himself against Tesia's boobs.
Jean froze.
…
Tesia looked down at him.
"Are you okay?"
Jean slowly raised his head.
"Yeah."
Better than ever...
He paused for a second.
"I think."
Tesia smiled.
"Good."
Jean quickly looked away, pretending he hadn't just realized where he was resting.
Don't think about it.
He took a deep breath.
Don't think about it.
He looked up again.
And then he saw her.
Tesia's blonde hair moved with the wind. Her face was illuminated by the city lights, and when Jean looked at her more carefully, he noticed little details he hadn't had the chance to appreciate before.
Her red eyes, their pupils narrowing into long, ruby-colored slits.
The shape of her nose.
Her perfectly moisturized lips, looking so soft… and incredibly kissable.
And that small black mole on the right side of her chin like a star.
Jean stared at her for a few seconds.
She was beautiful.
Much more beautiful than he had thought when he first saw her.
Tesia noticed him staring.
"What? Are you ok?"
Jean quickly looked away.
"So so..."
She smiled.
"Look."
Tesia pointed to the side.
"Look over there, dummy."
Jean followed her gaze.
And fell silent.
The entire city stretched out before them.
The lights of the buildings looked like tiny stars scattered across the ground, while above them, the night sky was completely clear.
Jean looked up.
There were stars.
So many more than he could normally see from the street.
For a few seconds, he didn't think about Jess.
He didn't think about the breakup.
He didn't think about the unfulfilled promises.
He didn't think about anything.
He just stared in amazement.
Tesia stayed beside him, holding him as they floated above the city.
"Pretty, huh?"
Jean nodded.
"Yeah."
Tesia smiled.
"I'm glad."
They remained silent for a moment.
Then she took both of his hands and held them as if they were falling through the sky, even though they weren't falling at all. They were simply floating above the city. Tesia looked straight into his eyes and said…
"I hope we can be good friends, Jean."