Page 17 of Unexpected Company
“He’s a celeb. Was the winner of that reality TV show about the people stranded on the island with pretend zombies.”
Jack can picture the show, but he can’t put a face to the name. He has never enjoyed watching reality television.
“Right, well, let’s get on with it then.” He takes a sip of his coffee, grimacing when it burns his upper lip, then stands from his desk and gestures to the door.
“First things first, I’d like to meet Blaine.”
I lean back against the desk chair, stretching my legs out and crossing them at the ankles. A deep satisfaction settles in my chest. After facing a writer’s block of mammoth proportions for the better part of a year, I woke with a story brewing and whenI sat down to type; the words flowed out. After jotting down endless plot and character notes, I’ve been writing for over three hours, my hands cramping from the lack of a break.
I couldn’t stop, though. Not when the story was so clear in my mind. It’s like something woke up the author in me.
“Anyone been attacked by a vampire yet?”
I jump from my relaxed position, spin my chair around and knock into Roman, who stumbles forward and catches himself by grabbing onto my shoulders, bringing him close enough I can smell my body wash on him.
My cock likes that very much, twitching in the confines of my boxers when his eyes meet mine and he levels me with a devilish grin.
Roman rights himself, brushing his hands over his hoodie. It’s black and has the words “Do you dare, Supernova?” emblazoned across the front. He appears to be in a far better mood after his nap.
“Nope. Still just a regular crime drama,” I reply.
A shiver runs through me, the air in the room a lot colder than it had been when I first sat down earlier in the day. This is what happens when I lose myself in my writing – I don’t notice changes in my environment.
Standing up, I move towards the fire, throwing on two logs to stoke the flames that had dwindled, letting the cold creep in. In the background, the festive sounds of Dean Martin fill the air, the old CD player that came with the cottage turned to a low volume.
“Pity.” Roman sits on the arm of the sofa and pulls a book out of the big pocket at the front of his hoodie. It has two characters on the cover, one that is brandishing what looks to be a sword. It’s not something I’ve read before.
“What are you reading?” I tip my head towards his book.
“Demon Slayer.”
I have no idea what that is, but he’s looking at me like I should – his eyes widening and his head tipped slightly to the side.
“Right.” I look closer at the cover, noting that the young girl has fangs. “Given your fascination with vampires, I presume that’s what your book is about?”
Roman looks at the cover and then back at me.
“No, it’s about demons.” He taps the white font. “It’s literally in the title.” He uses the same tone he did earlier when pointing out the breakfast tea, like he’s amused at my lack of knowledge. He moves his finger to the picture of the girl. “Nezuko is a demon, and this is her brother, Tanjiro – he’s human. It’s very good.”
“But are vampires not a form of demon?” I ask, admittedly making it obvious he was right about my lack of knowledge on this topic.
Roman’s eyebrows knit together and he kicks his legs against the side of the sofa, swinging them back and forth.
“No. They may have similar characteristics, but they are very different. I could give you a rundown?”
I shake my head, already desperate to get back to my novel.
“I’ll take a raincheck on that. I’m going to…” I gesture to the desk behind me.
“Yeah. Sure. I’ll just be here, quietly reading.”
I sit back in my chair, as he flops backwards, landing on the sofa with a thump. He opens the book, holding it above his head, turning the pages and mumbling as he reads. He is anything but quiet – sighs and quiet running commentary accompanying each flip of the page.
Returning to my typewriter, I work on the scene where Jill and Jack meet Blaine for the first time. And if Blaine is reading a book about demons and their siblings when they meet him, that’s between them and me.
Chapter seven
Roman
