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16. Vampire Q-And-A

I needed time to take in this earth-shattering revelation. It wasn't every day a girl learned that magically reanimated corpses walked the earth. I hadn't stuck around to learn the specifics, which perhaps I should have, so I was stuck with the basics of a new, forbidden knowledge that raised more questions than it answered. My standard resources failed me; the internet was chock-full of speculation and reports of vampire lore, but I had no way of knowing what was reputable. As a journalist, this whole situation unnerved me to the core.

I didn't tell Katie. I was in a state of confusion and transition, and until I had solid footing under me, I wouldn't make any rash decisions. Sergio had told me to keep vampires a secret, so I did.

But it was apparent that something was wrong. When I came home, I was on the verge of tears. Though I couldn't divulge the real reason for my distress, nothing stopped me from falling into Katie's arms and telling her that Sergio and I had fought. I didn't want to share details, I said, but I felt shitty.

"Are you going to see him again?" Katie asked.

"I don't know," I said.

She didn't press me, for which I was grateful. She just made me hot chocolate and rubbed my back while I cried.

Days passed.

A massive bouquet of pink roses and peonies arrived on our doorstep. For a brief moment, I thought they were from Sergio, and my heart soared and my stomach twisted all at once. But the card read:

"Dearest, loveliest Inari,

Please accept these as a token of my profound admiration and friendship. In return, I beg that you not tell the Conte di Genovesi about my little gift. I prefer my head where it is.

Malachi"

Cute. I threw away the card but kept the flowers.

At work, I was sullen and introspective. I turned my assignments in on time, with minimal interaction with my coworkers. At home, I alternated between reading all I could find about vampires, doing my best to ignore them, and wondering where Sergio was now.

Did he miss me? Did he wish he had told me sooner? Or was he relieved that I was gone and he didn't have to entertain the hopes of this fragile little human anymore? I had no idea.

Weeks passed. My life was returning to normal—or as normal as it could get with a broken heart and a confused mind. I went out with friends and laughed again. I reread the copy of Grimm fairy tales Sergio had bought me.

One night, Katie and I were watching Crazy Rich Asians, which had recently come out and was quickly becoming one of my favorite movies. I was curled up with my head in Katie's lap while she ran her fingers through my hair.

"That doesn't happen in real life," I said as the couple kissed on-screen. Katie's hand in my hair stilled. "The handsome, rich guy doesn't end up with the girl. He's from a different world than she is."

"Have you talked to him?" Katie asked gently.

"Not since Milan."

"Hon, you should give him a chance. I don't know what went wrong, but maybe you guys can work it out. You're miserable. I hate seeing you like this."

I struggled to shape what I was feeling into coherent sentences. "I shouldn't need a man to make me happy. I mean, I shouldn't go back to him just because I'm sad."

"There's a difference between getting with a guy because you need a man to validate you and getting with a guy because you like him as a person. Making each other happy isn't bad in itself, as long as you are confident in yourself without him."