Immortal Awakening

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The next day was oddly peaceful, and Leanne was definitely in a good mood. A smile was plastered on her face all morning. I just had to find out what was up. I asked when she took me out for lunch to an old sandwich shop, and it took her a few minutes to tell me that we would be going to dinner, and she wanted me to meet someone.

"Oh, really?" I asked, picking at my sandwich resting in its paper wrapping on top of a small, square checkerboard table. I had never tasted the falafel sandwich before, and I was feeling rather picky today for some unknown reason. "Who is it?" I asked, then waited for her to finish chewing her black forest ham sandwich.

She wiped the mayo from the corner of her mouth, and broke into a grin. "It's Michael," she said.

I hadn't heard his name since around the time of her disastrous date, and I was glad they were still together. "Must be serious and if you're bringing him home to be judged," I said with a raised eyebrow as I did a quick sweep of the small restaurant, with about 5 tables, two booths, and pictures of sandwiches hanging from every wall.

A gasp escaped her pink-tinted lips. "I do expect you to be on your best behavior. We're going out to a really nice restaurant, and we're going to have a great time," she said, then her features went soft as she looked down at her half-eaten sandwich. "I really do hope you like him, because I really do," she said quietly, a light blush coating her cheeks.

Smiling softly, I reached across the small square table and to place my hand on top of hers. "I'm sure I will." I took up my drink to take a sip, and realized what looked like a hot sauce stain that had been hidden underneath it. "Is it only him?" I asked, purposely placing the cup back on top of the sauce stain, then taking a bite out of my sandwich. It seemed ungrateful of me to not eat when she had offered to take me out.

"No," she whispered, voice dropping again. "He's bringing his son along," she said. It felt like a falafel had stopped at my throat. "Before you say anything," she said quickly, holding up a finger and leaning forward a bit across the table. "I knew he had a son. I didn't tell you, because I wasn't sure how you'd react. But I'm telling you now, because I want the most important people in my life to finally meet."

She panted a little, and I couldn't hold her in the wrong. It was obvious she cared what I thought. I took a deep breath and finished chewing my sandwich. Giving her time to relax a bit, I took another sip of my drink and placed it back down to cover the stain on the table. "I'm fine with him having a son. I'm just wondering now how old he is."

She bit her lip and shrugged as she bit into her sandwich, and I suddenly got the feeling she was hiding something. "Leanne," I said slowly and cautiously. "What are you not telling me?"

"This is a really good sandwich," she said, voice muffled because her mouth was half full of ham.

"Leanne!"

"Okay, okay," she said, and quickly swallowed her food. "He's different, and closer to your age than he is to mine," she said. I gave her a confused look, but she shook her head as if she had read my mind. How could she be dating someone close to 18 years old? "Your other age."

Other age? I was going to ask, but stopped when I finally understood. She meant he was like me, whatever I was. "So, he's like a thousand years old or something?" I asked, deciding that I was not going to finish my sandwich. I didn't have an appetite for anything at all. I remembered even skipping out on breakfast, and opting instead for a bottle of water.