81. Moving Forward

Kubra

I don’t know how long I slept. I felt great waking up. Stretching out yawning. Moving in the bed, I turned to Charlene’s side of the room. She wasn’t there. I checked my watch, groaning. I had slept too long. It was almost six in the morning. I had slept for twelve hours. I yawned again.

“Why am I so tired?”

“Maybe it’s because you can actually relax.” Her tiny voice said. Charlene came out of the bathroom. I got up and stepped past her, closing the door.

I seriously needed to pee and take a shower. Half an hour later, I left the bathroom with only a towel around my waist. I was moving so slowly. I had just sat under the water for the longest time. Charlene was startled seeing me like that. I didn’t know if I had done something wrong. Her eyes darting everywhere just to fall away from me.

I peered down and up at her. “What?”

“Nothing.” She said, sighing at the same time.

“I can take her if you want to get cleaned up.”

“Thanks, that would be great.”

“Let me just get dressed. I went back into the bathroom and put my clothes on. My mouth felt iffy. I needed a toothbrush and eyed Charlene’s.

“Do you mind if I used your toothbrush?”

There was a small giggle. “No. Not at all.” I shrugged and pushed the brush into my mouth. Yawning again.

Coming out. I took Miné from her. We made our way outside, taking a walk up and down the road, checking out what was available in that tiny little town.

All I needed was underwear. A few shirts and jeans and slacks. Staring at my boots, I didn’t think I would be able to put them on again. Charlene didn’t like the smell. Maybe socks and some sneakers.

After half an hour, I opened the door again and walked into the room. Charlene was watching the news while brushing her teeth. Sitting on the side of the bed. I didn’t think she would use it again. But my gaze dropped to her chest just wrapped in a towel. Fixed above her breasts. I held my breath. Wet hair… I knew how she felt when she saw me without a shirt or coming out of the shower.

“What?” She asked.

“Are you mocking me? This is not the same?”

“How do you figure… Are you one of those men who think women shouldn’t be sexual? Or notice a guy dripping wet… just wrapped in a towel. A woman’s thoughts should be pure and chaste. Just for their husbands.” She dramatically put her hand on her heart.

“I’ve never had a girlfriend… How should I know?”

She chuckled her laugh growing louder.

“What?”

“Is that all you know how to say?”

“What?”

She fell back on the bed in peals. The towel pulled up till just above her thighs, not noticing. Yeah, that was my cue. Slowly I turned around but not before glancing back at her legs. She had amazing legs. My eyes ran from her feet to her claves and stopped at her thighs. I shook myself knowing she was watching me. I wasn’t going to catch her eye. Not yet.

***

Charlene

I had such good sleep. When Miné woke up at five-thirty, I couldn’t believe it. We had both actually just relaxed.

I smiled when I saw Kubra coming in with Miné pausing as he saw me in a towel. I did it deliberately. A dose of his own medicine. Pulling off his clothes in the store! Coming out of the bathroom like we’ve just had a one-night stand. He was so hot. Ripped muscles. Pecks to die for and abs. I stopped brushing for a second, thinking about it. After laughing at him for not being able to control himself, I stood up and walked to the bathroom to rinse out the toothpaste.

I got dressed and called him into the room. “What time you want to get out of here.”

“When you’re ready.” He sat on a chair in the corner of the room with Miné on his one leg. His eyes quickly met mine. Did I do something wrong? He was being reticent.

“I’m going to pack and put everything in the car. Can you take her for a few more minutes?” He nodded.

I didn’t move staring down at him. It felt like I needed to say something.

“What?” He asked like always.

“I haven’t thanked you.”

His eyes slowly lifted to mine. “There’s no need.” They stayed on me.

“Yes, there is Kubra. For all of this … Thank You. You have no idea what it meant. What it means.”

He was instantly back. Getting up to put Miné down on her makeshift bed I had constructed on the floor. “I’ll help you. She’s okay there.”

“Yeah, she’ll be fine.” I was getting to know him. His reactions. Like Marcus, they were happiest when they were doing something. When they stopped was when the bells went off.

I bent down searching for Katty, who was playing under one of the beds. I tried to catch her, but she ran away climbing the bed as fast as possible. Kubra came over to pick her up. He just missed her when she ran again, jumping off the bed.

Every time I went for her, she would dodge. We were up and down. She went left and right. Laughter escaped me when I missed her again.

“This isn’t funny. If I catch her. I’ll eat her.”

“Awe, gross.”

“Seriously… Your kid is going to do way worse than a vampire. Ripping something to shreds.”

“But I won’t allow her to eat a cat! And not Juliet’s engagement present.”

He pulled his mouth down. “So that was Michael’s intentions. Not very clever… Katty could run away… What would that say?”

“It’s about what it meant in the first place. There!” He bent down quickly and picked her up around the ribcage. His large hand circled her and held her tightly while she protested and wriggled. He manifested… Opened his mouth. Large white fangs went to bite her neck. My eyes were as big as saucers. He slowly moved her away from his lips, putting her in the carrier.

“You’re too easy!”

I giggled. “I didn’t think you had a sense of humor.” I threw him with a pillow.

“Really? Pillow fight. You’ll lose.” I lifted up my hands. Not quite ready for that… Did he even know what it meant? Probably not…

“What?”

I rolled my eyes. Did he know how to construct sentences?

***

“Where are we?” I asked when the boredom set in.

“Halfway…”

“So tell me… You’ve been watching us for some time now. Marcus joined us almost as soon as we got to France. What do you think about everything…?”

“What do you want to know?”

“I don’t know… just making conversation.”

“Okay… I’m intrigued by your relationship with Juliet.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re human… She’s a vampire. How did you accept that?”

For a moment I was taken back in time. The first time I saw her manifest.

“Hey. The first time we saw each other was at the cages that night… With Louis and Marcus.”

It didn’t seem that he wanted to talk about it. Probably because he would have fed me to Marcus. “I’m always where Marcus is.” He avoided the question.

“So what… we are both best friends?” Kubra’s eyes glanced over to me.

“More than that..”

“Yeah, more than that… I love Juliet. We have a connection.”

“She is like glue, isn’t she.”

“You never… liked Juliet.” I flashed my eyebrows at him.

He snorted, taking the last drag of a cigarette flicking it out of the window. I was sitting in the front with him while Miné took a nap.

“No, never.”

“How many women does a guy through in two hundred years.”

“A lot!”

“How did that even work on the compound? Do you take off the veils and coverings and force them to kiss you… And Marcus, you guys never raped a woman?” His head snapped around at me. His lips parted. A frown between his eyes.

“Women aren’t allowed to just freely walkabout. It’s not like you could go into someone’s house and just rape their wife… Cheating is very serious. Both ways… Rather take another wife than take what belongs to another man… We were allowed to go to human brothels. The men in the army…”

“So what you’ve slept with….” My eyes had to dart to the roof to do the calculation. But I figured… “2160 women?” I laughed nervously thinking it out loud.

He’s amused. “How did you figure that?”

“Well, say for argument’s sake.” I laughed lightly. He lit another cigarette and took a drag of it. I’m staring at his mouth and his lips wrapped around the cigarette. He held it out to me like that was what I wanted. To keep face, I took it… “You started at 20.” I gesture with my hands. He smiled broadly. For a moment, my eyes fell on his mouth again.

“For argument’s sake…” He joked.

“After that, say once a month at a brothel would be a hundred and eighty years times twelve.”

He’s laughing, shoulders shaking. “What about Christmas special?”

My eyebrows raised for dramatic effect. “Okay, that would be 2340.”

“You’re really witty, aren’t you.” He said glaring down his nose at me. Kubra had that habit of leaning towards the steering wheel when he said something. It was endearing. I held out the cigarette to him. He took it watching our hands carefully as our fingers touched. It sent a jolt up my arm into every nerve ending of my skin. He noticed my reaction. I felt stupid and turned away from him. I shook myself changing the subject… “So all vampire women get sold at auction?” He nodded. “And your father never bought you, anyone.”

He shook his head left and right. “I was bred for service… just like Marcus. Political advantage and forced filial loyalty.”

“And you? Your eighteen and how many men have you been with.” He changes the subject back.

I answered quickly. “I’m at fifty.. roundabout there.” Kubra’s head jerked around again. I was joking, of course. Knowing that’s what Juliet told Chris. Seemed like a good number to get a rise out of a guy. But I held his gaze, my acting up to par. His tongue played over his teeth, thinking.

“Well, if you think about it. There were one hundred seniors in the school. A hundred in my grade. Another hundred in the grade below me of which for argument's sake, let's say twenty was….”

“Do-able.” He suggested. I burst out laughing. He enjoyed seeing me laugh and watched me with interest.

I agreed nodding my head… “So twenty guys at school. Holidays are like… I look up at the roof again… “Five a year for… three years. That’s already thirty-five… other schools in the area, dances, raves, clubs, etc.

“Okay! Fine! You’re at fifty!” He yelled to shut me up staring out the window.

“You’re too easy…” His shoulders relaxed. He leaned forward, eyes on me. His chest started shaking. “You laugh much easier than Marcus. You’re a little bit looser around the shoulders.”

“You think so?”

***

Kubra

We reached Paris sooner than I thought. Talking and spending time with someone really made the time go faster.

I liked Charlene. She asked me what I had noticed since watching Marcus in the house for the last year… I wanted to tell her that I had noticed her.

I helped her get everything from the car into the house. We opened all the windows to let the air run through the place. Louis really did have good taste. He also had all the luxuries. The house was in a good location for Charlene and Miné.

***

“Hey, I need to talk to you.” I ventured when we settled down.

“Sure, what’s up.” Charlene’s hands are always in her back pockets. It was somewhat distracting. As if she had to keep her hands busy or else they would go somewhere. I thought about sticking my own hands in those pockets. Her eyes are cast down like she’s waiting for bad news.

“I have been trying to reach Marcus and Carl, but I can’t get through. Neither Bertram nor the Compound. It’s like all communications have been blocked off.”

“Yeah I also tried. But what has that got to do with me?”

“Well, that means I’m staying for starters… If you want me to. I just wanted you to know that I’m trying to reach someone at the Compound so we can hear how it’s going with Juliet.” Her eyes were still on the floor. She was rocking back and forth on her very white sneakers.

“Fine. Do you want to go to the Supermarket with me?”

She didn’t say no. So I wasn’t going to push. “Yeah of course. Let’s go. There is one around the corner. I’ll get the stroller.”

Charlene’s eyes were on me the whole time. Like she didn’t trust me. Or understood me… I would be nervous too. She didn’t know why I was there. Who I was…

That morning coming into Paris, we stopped somewhere to buy me clothes. Being free of my suit felt good. While we walked down the road, it felt weird being with a woman out in the open, pushing a stroller. People keep staring and saying things. Like we couldn’t understand French and haven’t been living there for a year…

Miné started crying for some reason. I picked her up. She instantly quieted down.

“I don’t think we should take her out of the stroller in public. What if she changed?”

It was rather hot that day. Miné was wearing a short sleeve onesie. Very pink with a cute headband. I ignored Charlene and walked with her in my arms so she could look out into the world. It was a rough two days in the car. We were all just a little bit bored and not in routine.

Charlene pushed the stroller going into the store. She bought everything she needed. I didn’t know why but people kept staring at us.

“What do you think they’re staring at. I’m not used to going to the store if you know what I mean.”

She snorted, staring at me in amazement. The corner of her mouth pulled up.

“What?”

A small laugh escapes her lips.

“They are staring at you… You’re handsome. And you have this relaxed state about you. I don’t know how to explain it. Like… you’re fun to be around. And you’re carrying a baby, so every girl is drooling and jealous.”

“Of what?”

“Of me…” The thought didn’t even cross my mind. That everyone thought we were a family. That I was her husband and that we might just be happy. I liked the idea and went on with shopping… Realizing that I had that stupid smile on my face, I saw on Marcus with sometimes.

Miné was in front of my chest in my arms, leaning back and enjoying the store. The stares quickly changed to pointing and whispering. I glanced down to see she had changed.

I smiled. Opening the tap to my charisma told them that she suffered from that disease where a person is born with too much body hair. I gave the very long medical name for it… And added that I didn’t know how we would get her a husband.

Everyone sympathized with us and said how sorry they were… Charlene was dumbfounded. Staring at me like I was an enigma. That me knowing the name of a human disease of too much body hair was the last thing she had expected.

“What?” I asked.

Her shoulders slumped forward. Her head followed in exasperation.