Page 36 of A Vampire's Pain
“This night you’re going to get a taste of freedom.”
“The food tastes like freedom?”
Gabriel laughed and shook his head before he suddenly ordered our food through this weird speaker. It was clear I knew nothing of the world really. I had been hidden away for so long and I had been so lost in my own mind, I barely even noticed time moving around me, but now I was finally out. I was finally trying to find myself again.
“Why does the food taste like freedom?” I asked as we drove to a window where we were handed the food.
“It doesn’t,” he said. “But tonight, you are going to experience what it is like, which is why I didn’t take you to a fancy restaurant.”
I was rather happy he hadn’t. I wasn’t really dressed for it, but more importantly, I didn’t want to spend my night in such an uptight place. I was out here to feel what it was like being free. When we had our food, Gabriel found a place to park, and then got out of the car, telling me to follow.
I did as he told me to, and then I walked over to where he was standing, which was right in front of the car. He gave me the food, and then he placed his hands on my waist.
“Gabriel!” I squealed, as he placed me on top of the car.
He just smiled at me, before he joined me, and then we sat there in the parking lot under the night sky, just eating this strange food that I had never before had a taste of.
“What is this?” I asked as I took a bite of what I knew was a burger.
“Food,” he said. “Junk food.”
“It tastes … good,” I said, sounding so damn surprised, which only made it clearer how little I knew of the world around me.
Gabriel smiled.
“It is just something for us to quickly eat before we are going to a bar nearby.”
“A bar?” I asked.
He nodded.
“This is a date,” he told me.
“It is?!” I asked but sounded excited.
He smiled and leaned a little closer to me. I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead, he just brushed a little seed off the corner of my mouth, making me blush a little embarrassed.
“Would you rather I took you somewhere fancy and then we went somewhere to dance?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“No, I like this,” I told him. “I don’t like all that fancy stuff. I mean … it’s clear I barely know anything.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
“But it is,” I said. “I’m tired of hiding.”
Gabriel smiled, looking almost impressed.
“Okay, then,” he said. “No more hiding.”
“No more hiding,” I chuckled.
We continued to eat, and then we got in the car again, before driving to a bar nearby. It didn’t look very impressive from the outside, and it had a strange smell as we came inside, but for some reason, I loved it. I loved the dark brown colors, and the people just sitting around chatting. It was nothing over the top, and I felt somehow more alive being among these people, than the fancy aristocrats I had grown up with.
“Okay, I’m getting us some drinks. You are waiting over there,” Gabriel said and pointed to a table that had this green surface.
I did as he told me and walked over there, and soon he came over with drinks, smiling cheekily.
