I think perhaps there’s a part of me that thought she wouldn’t get on the train– that she’d come back out and find me. But that service left twenty-five minutes ago, and since there’s no sign of her now, I have to assume that she’s gone. And it’s entirely my fault.
Ok, yes, I know I told her to go.Madeher go, some might say.
Whatever.
The point is that she’s gone, and now I have to deal with it until she comes back, or, y’know… for eternity.
No need to panic.
I take one last, longing look at the station and then set off in the direction of Flowergate. The guest at my place has gone now, but I can’t bear the thought of going home. I don’t think I can handle being alone. Instead I head to Bitten.
It’s only a couple of streets across, but I’m soaking by the time I let myself into the bar. It’s been raining steadily thewhole time, so I’ve got to assume I’ve been wet for a while, but I didn’t notice until I saw myself dripping onto the stone step into the living area.
There’s a low groan from somewhere in the direction of the sofa, and I peek in to find a pair of feet poking out from under a pile of blankets. Sammi, I’m going to assume, from the fire-engine-red toenails and the conveniently placed bucket beside her. It makes me smile, despite my mood. Sam’s not the most hardened of drinkers.
There are also a couple of people I vaguely recognise crashed out in sleeping bags on the floor, and Ed– the guy who supplies our bar snacks– curled up on the beanbag in the corner.
Must have been quite a night.
I head to the storeroom– may as well do something useful while I’m moping– but before I’m even all the way there, I hear the distinct sound of pool balls clacking off each other. When I swing open the door, I find Elias contorting himself in some inhuman way to attempt an elaborate backwards trick shot. He sinks it just as the door clicks shut behind me.
‘Nice,’ I say, and he grins at me in response, reaching a hand up to brush his curls out of his face.
‘I should hope so.’ He chuckles. ‘Been practising that one for about ninety years.’
He rounds the table, grabbing the triangle and pushing the mechanism to release the balls before grabbing a second cue from the rack and throwing it at me. I catch it just before it smacks me in the face.
‘You look like shit,’ he says, not looking up, and I bark out a laugh.
‘It’s also nice to see you.’
‘Sorry.’ His mouth curls into a grin as he rounds the table, not repentant in the slightest. ‘But wow.’ He breaks, potting two yellows in the process, before looking back up at me. ‘What the hell did she do to you, man?’
I blow out a breath, but I don’t answer. Instead I pretend to be assessing the position of the red balls on the table.
‘What’s her name?’ Elias asks. His voice is softer now, and when I look up at him I find that his smile has dropped. I’ve rarely seen him so serious.
I just about manage to reply. ‘Lucy.’
‘Like inDracula!’ He chuckles a little to himself. ‘Bet Wladek’s over the moon.’ Then he sobers and bends to pull off a long shot, getting a third ball in the bottom pocket. I’m not even going to get a turn at this rate.
‘You never forget the first one,’ he says, once he realises I haven’t replied.
I look back at him, confused. ‘Huh?’
‘The first human you meet.’ He chalks the end of his cue, not that it seems necessary. The dude can’t miss. ‘The first one that gets to you. After your change, I mean.’
I tense at his words, an uncomfortable roll of something in my stomach. The idea of Lucy as the first of many makes my throat tighten. I can’t imagine there’s anyone else quite like her.
‘Mine was Frances.’ He rebounds a yellow off the cushion, and it sails into the middle pocket. ‘The prettiest woman I’ve ever met to this day, and that was before most people hadrunning water.’ He smiles to himself before he looks back at me, and when he does, his nose wrinkles in sympathy. ‘And I’m guessing from the way you look that it’s all over now.’
I nod, and he lets out a low whistle.
‘She find out?’
‘I told her.’
His gaze snaps back to meet mine. ‘Jesus. And she took it badly?’