By Sruthi Nambiar
He stands at the doorway, watching the young woman sprawled on the sofa. He waits for her to acknowledge his presence. When none is forthcoming, he awkwardly coughs.
She lazily looks up from her current literary companion towards him. "Oh, it is you. Stop standing awkwardly at the doorway. You can enter the room."
As he shuffles in, she returns to her book. It is clear she expects him to make his way towards the bookshelves and select a book. Instead, he approaches her.
"Have you heard of my secret?" He asks, without hesitation.
She does not respond immediately. He asks his question again. This time, with great difficulty, she tears her eyes away from the words in the book.
"What?" She responds, grumpily.
"My secret? The one everyone knows I have but does not know the exact details? The same one that has been giving me personality quirks? For example; I need to be invited to enter any place or room?"
"Oh! The one about you being a vampire? Yes, I have heard about that. Cool." She slurps on her ice drink, emphasizing the point.
"COOL?!!! That is your response to me being a vampire?! A simple and singular 'Cool.'. I am the blood-sucking monster of the night!"
She snaps her book shut and turns towards him. He noticed that she did not take the time to mark the page she was reading. A cold wave of dread washes over him.
"If you want a bigger response," she starts, "You should go to the others. For a dreamy response, Sanjana is your girl. If you want to be peppered with endless questions, some of which may be inappropriate, go and speak with Maya. If you want jokes or insults on your behalf, Al and Ed are the duo to contact." She pauses for a long time. Momentarily, he thinks she is done. However, she continues.
"I do not fear people who look identical or similar to the latest teenage heartthrob. Neither would I classify them as the terrifying monster of the night. After all, teenagers do not usually swoon over those monstrous monsters. They swoon over the pretty people and you are a pretty boy."
"So, you are not a big fan of the modern vampire lore?" He asks, a slight humour present in his tone.
"I do not see the appeal of someone getting bitten and having their blood sucked. The premise is absurdly stupid to me." She replies haughtily.
"Oh. When I do it, there is nothing romantic or alluring in the process. I just do it for my survival." He assures.
"So what? Blood sucking is also essential for mosquitoes and leeches and I hate them." She states dismissively.
He steps away, shocked and hurt. "I am no different than a blood-sucking insect?! That is such a rude and cruel thing to say!" He yells. "I, unlike those insects, have thoughts and feelings!"
"Sure you do. Yet, that does not change the fact that vampires are blood-sucking parasites. Now, scram." Suddenly, mosquito repellent is sprayed directly into his face.
He jumps back, and a long low hiss escapes him. He never liked how aerosol sprays landed on his skin. As he wipes his face, he smells something unusual. A strange floral scent. That is strange. He never smelt floral scents around her before.
His eyes widened in shock as he connected the dots.
" You bought a floral-scented perfume? You hate floral scents!"
"I read in an article that they are surprisingly good mosquito repellants. I thought I should see how well they work on vampires." She smiles maliciously at him.
"I hate floral scents!" He snaps.
"That is good to know. Thanks for confirming that floral scents work well as a repellant." She lifts the mosquito repellent and shakes the bottle in his face, " Now, scram.'
He immediately flees the room.
By Sruthi Nambiar
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