her hand. “It’s not that bad.”
“ All right, what are you going to do about rent? I guess I can give you some of my stipend. It’s not much since I’m still an amateur, but I want to help.”
“ Thank you, Matt. God, you’re so amazing, but I got another job lined up.”
“ Great, does it pay the same?”
“ No, it pays more. But I promise it’s only temporary.”
“ Is it a temp job? Wait a minute, why do you seem okay with it only being temporary?”
“ It’s complicated...”
“ Where’d you get the job?” Matt asked, his eyebrows scrunched with suspicion.
“ Logan offered me a job.”
Matt ’s normally high cheekbones sunk in a little bit. His thick lips puckered and he let out an understated, “Oh.”
“ His art is flying off the shelves and he’s working on another super-secret project, and he wants me to help him manage the continued sales of his pieces.”
Matt ’s eyes fell to the side. “Okay,” he nodded. “You know me. I’m not a controlling guy...”
“ ...yeah?”
“ ...but I’m not gonna lie. This whole deal makes me a bit uncomfortable.”
Keelen sat back and crossed her arms. “Wait a minute, what would you do if you were me? Huh?”
“ No...no...you’re right. You had to do what you had to do. It’s tough out there. Jobs aren’t easy to come by. But you know, your history and all. Love is a tricky beast. I love you right now and if we separated, I’d still have feelings for you.”
“ Me, too, Matt,” Keelen said, as she put her cold hands on his large forearm. “Once, Logan and I just dated for a summer. He was too deep for me. Too restless. Too eccentric.”
“ Sounds like the type of guy girls fall over nowadays,” he snickered.
“ I love you , Matt,” she said, her eyes gleaming. “You!”
Matt blushed. He stretched his thick neck. His eyelids fluttered rapidly. “He better not try anything, you hear me?”
“ He won’t,” Keelen said. “He asked about you.”
“ Yeah? That doesn’t mean anything, you know?”
“ Stop it.”
Keelen leaned over and sneaked a kiss on Matt’s lips. He then grabbed the back of her head and swallowed Keelen’s wet set. As the two young lovers displayed their affection in front of the oblivious café patrons, Cindy walked into the diner. She sat next to Keelen and pinched the side of her thigh.
“ What the...” Keelen exclaimed.
“ Hey, horny toads,” Cindy joked, making herself comfortable in the booth. “So, you told him, huh?”
Keelen was lost in Matt ’s eyes and caressed his cheek with her hand. “Yeah, he’s okay with it—you’re okay with it, right?”
Matt groaned lightly . “I’m cool. I guess he sounds like a good dude.”
“ You have nothing to worry about, Matt. Logan sleeps all day anyway. Which was one of the reasons it drove Keelen nuts in the beginning,” Cindy said.
“ That’s true,” Keelen said. “The guy is nocturnal.”
“ Is he allergic to the sun or something?” Matt joked.
“ I don’t know, quite frankly,” said Keelen. “He says he’s a night person. Also, he paints with human blood.”
“ What?” Matt exclaimed.
“ I think he’s a vampire,” said Cindy. “Think about it. He’s around blood, sleeps during the day, and he’s got longer than usual teeth. He also lives super secretly, too. He doesn’t grant interviews, and he had me and Keelen swear we’d never let anyone know that we know him.”
“ Um, Cindy, vampires don’t exist,” stated Matt, in a matter-of-fact tone.
Cindy glared at Matt with condescending eyes. “You’d be surprised how much we don’t know.” Cindy flashed her thumb and index finger in a gesture of measurement. “I’m this close from being able to talk to the dead…this close.” She gestured with both hands. “And I’m this close from making a psychic connection with Keelen.”
Keelen gave Matt a smirk as she sipped her cup of coffee. “She said she knew I was in trouble when you called her
“ All right, what are you going to do about rent? I guess I can give you some of my stipend. It’s not much since I’m still an amateur, but I want to help.”
“ Thank you, Matt. God, you’re so amazing, but I got another job lined up.”
“ Great, does it pay the same?”
“ No, it pays more. But I promise it’s only temporary.”
“ Is it a temp job? Wait a minute, why do you seem okay with it only being temporary?”
“ It’s complicated...”
“ Where’d you get the job?” Matt asked, his eyebrows scrunched with suspicion.
“ Logan offered me a job.”
Matt ’s normally high cheekbones sunk in a little bit. His thick lips puckered and he let out an understated, “Oh.”
“ His art is flying off the shelves and he’s working on another super-secret project, and he wants me to help him manage the continued sales of his pieces.”
Matt ’s eyes fell to the side. “Okay,” he nodded. “You know me. I’m not a controlling guy...”
“ ...yeah?”
“ ...but I’m not gonna lie. This whole deal makes me a bit uncomfortable.”
Keelen sat back and crossed her arms. “Wait a minute, what would you do if you were me? Huh?”
“ No...no...you’re right. You had to do what you had to do. It’s tough out there. Jobs aren’t easy to come by. But you know, your history and all. Love is a tricky beast. I love you right now and if we separated, I’d still have feelings for you.”
“ Me, too, Matt,” Keelen said, as she put her cold hands on his large forearm. “Once, Logan and I just dated for a summer. He was too deep for me. Too restless. Too eccentric.”
“ Sounds like the type of guy girls fall over nowadays,” he snickered.
“ I love you , Matt,” she said, her eyes gleaming. “You!”
Matt blushed. He stretched his thick neck. His eyelids fluttered rapidly. “He better not try anything, you hear me?”
“ He won’t,” Keelen said. “He asked about you.”
“ Yeah? That doesn’t mean anything, you know?”
“ Stop it.”
Keelen leaned over and sneaked a kiss on Matt’s lips. He then grabbed the back of her head and swallowed Keelen’s wet set. As the two young lovers displayed their affection in front of the oblivious café patrons, Cindy walked into the diner. She sat next to Keelen and pinched the side of her thigh.
“ What the...” Keelen exclaimed.
“ Hey, horny toads,” Cindy joked, making herself comfortable in the booth. “So, you told him, huh?”
Keelen was lost in Matt ’s eyes and caressed his cheek with her hand. “Yeah, he’s okay with it—you’re okay with it, right?”
Matt groaned lightly . “I’m cool. I guess he sounds like a good dude.”
“ You have nothing to worry about, Matt. Logan sleeps all day anyway. Which was one of the reasons it drove Keelen nuts in the beginning,” Cindy said.
“ That’s true,” Keelen said. “The guy is nocturnal.”
“ Is he allergic to the sun or something?” Matt joked.
“ I don’t know, quite frankly,” said Keelen. “He says he’s a night person. Also, he paints with human blood.”
“ What?” Matt exclaimed.
“ I think he’s a vampire,” said Cindy. “Think about it. He’s around blood, sleeps during the day, and he’s got longer than usual teeth. He also lives super secretly, too. He doesn’t grant interviews, and he had me and Keelen swear we’d never let anyone know that we know him.”
“ Um, Cindy, vampires don’t exist,” stated Matt, in a matter-of-fact tone.
Cindy glared at Matt with condescending eyes. “You’d be surprised how much we don’t know.” Cindy flashed her thumb and index finger in a gesture of measurement. “I’m this close from being able to talk to the dead…this close.” She gestured with both hands. “And I’m this close from making a psychic connection with Keelen.”
Keelen gave Matt a smirk as she sipped her cup of coffee. “She said she knew I was in trouble when you called her
Similar Books
