chapter┊ ✦. :: seven
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A vampire? It had to be a damn joke.

Lydia couldn't sleep all night as she thought about what Carlisle had told her, and she didn't show up for work on her shift either. She simply lay in her bed wrapped in a pile of blankets, trying to keep her brain from exploding suddenly.

She was very intelligent, and she quickly connected the dots. But there were things that didn't make sense, of course she wasn't an expert connoisseur of those creatures because as far as she knew, they only existed in fiction and not in real life.

But if Carlisle was one of them, how could he work in a hospital full of injuries and blood? How did he go out in the daylight? Wasn't he supposed to burn? And his fangs? Had he ever killed anyone? Now his incredible beauty and the fact that he was perfect in everything made sense. How old could he be? Could he turn into a bat?

After not sleeping for two nights and staying awake until noon, her system couldn't take it anymore, and amid strange thoughts, she fell into a deep sleep. She opened her eyes a couple of hours later, realizing it was six in the evening and she had enough time to go to work.

She didn't want Cullen around, but that didn't mean she could just skip work as if nothing had happened. She had already lost a night and a half, and she didn't need her salary cut even more.

She was getting ready to leave when an idea suddenly pierced her brain. Were all the Cullens vampires? Esme, Emmett, Alice, and all the others she hadn't met? Surely that was the reason why they all looked alike.

She had to stop thinking so much. She wanted a simple and normal life, and if she pretended that none of this had happened, she could still go back to the boring life she longed for.

She got into her car, trying not to feel scared. Carlisle wouldn't hurt her, right? If he were going to, he would have already done it, wouldn't he? She took her time getting there, and when she parked the car, she realized Cullen was already there.

"Just pretend he doesn't exist," she encouraged herself.

She ran to the entrance because of the rain, which was quite heavy that night, and got a little wet, but once she had her uniform on, she would warm up again. Then she realized that her things had not left her small locker for two nights. She sighed tiredly; she just hoped she wouldn't get into trouble for missing a day.

She stood in front of the changing room door for a full five minutes, fearing to come out. She imagined that Carlisle already knew she was there, and that terrified her. When she gathered enough courage, she stepped out firmly and checked her entrance, where it appeared that she had gone to work the night before. As far as she remembered, she had stayed among her blankets, reflecting on the universe. Probably it was Cullen's doing, and although she deep down appreciated it, it wouldn't fix anything.

Besides, the nurses must have realized she hadn't shown up, right? Of course, they didn't need to know that her attendance record was perfect.

She greeted Lorie, who was in the lobby looking at the computer. When she got to the emergency room, she greeted Tina, the evening doctor. She was just waiting for Lydia to arrive so she could go home.

Everything was in complete order and very quiet, and Cullen hadn't even crossed her path, which was a complete relief. Relief that didn't last long enough. The notice came that an ambulance was on its way; a couple of men had gone hunting that morning, and one slipped and broke a leg, while the other, instead of seeking help, also fell and hit his head hard and broke an arm.

"Hello, Lydia," Cullen greeted politely.

She didn't even look at him, but it wasn't like the other times; before, she accepted the man's presence, but this time she was completely uninterested.

"I'll take care of the man with the broken leg," he announced.

Carlisle felt quite sad, but he didn't blame her. In fact, she was taking it quite well, and fortunately, she hadn't told anyone yet.

"Okay," he replied in the same friendly tone. And he waited for the girl to give him even a quick glance, even one filled with hatred or terror, he would endure it. But he only got rejection and indifference.

She didn't look at him once. Not even when he asked her for help putting some nails in the man's leg. And that was already driving Carlisle absolutely crazy. He wasn't going to pressure or insist; Lydia had asked him to stay away, and that was precisely what he was going to do, at least as much as possible. But it was very difficult when they worked in the same building and even worse when they were the only two doctors responsible for the shift.

The last three nights were too uncomfortable. Lydia had given him the silent treatment, and Carlisle was about to lose his mind. But at least they would return to their normal schedule, where there were more people, and their paths wouldn't cross so often.

It was a month and a half where Lydia avoided crossing paths with Cullen at all costs, and it was the same time that Carlisle did nothing to remedy things. Actually, he didn't know how to do it. Lydia no longer challenged him at every opportunity, and she didn't try to outdo him every time they had similar tasks. That little game had disappeared, and Carlisle hated it. It was as if Lydia had simply erased him from her world.

It was Wednesday at eight in the evening; the shift had ended, and Carlisle was heading home, but to his surprise, he was intercepted halfway through the parking lot by Lydia. She looked at him, although he couldn't describe what kind of expression it was.

"This is stupid," she said. "I just wanted a normal and completely boring life. Seriously, I was happy that my life was boring, and my only goal was to outdo you in everything possible. But with what I know... now it's impossible. I can't just forget it or let it go as if nothing happened."

Carlisle listened to her attentively, but he had no idea what to say.

"I have questions," she spoke again after a moment.

He nodded.

"I invite you to dinner... I don't think you want to talk in the middle of the parking lot."

Lydia looked at him with a furrowed brow; he knew she wasn't scared at all, but he sensed a touch of nervousness.

"The dinner won't be me, right?"

The man laughed genuinely amused.

"Of course not, and if it makes you feel better, I've never fed on a human."

Lydia nodded. She looked at her car, which was on the other side of the small parking lot, and finally decided to follow Carlisle to his car. The man opened the door for Lydia before she could do it herself and took her hand carefully to help her in. She couldn't avoid the blush that spread across her cheeks.

The journey was quite silent, with the radio playing only a little in the background. Carlisle occasionally glanced at Lydia, who had dedicated herself to looking out the window the whole time. She seemed to be having an internal debate because

her brow was furrowed, and she clenched her hands into fists.

She wanted to take her hand and tell her that everything was perfectly fine. But she had to wait a little longer; she wasn't going to ruin this golden opportunity now.

They arrived at a small Italian restaurant. It wasn't very big, but it was private and pleasant enough to have a conversation without curious ears.

Carlisle opened Lydia's door before she could do it herself and once again extended his hand to help her out.

"You don't have to do that," she told him as she adjusted her coat.

"I don't mind doing it, but if it bothers you—"

"It's not that," she interrupted and started walking but barely took a step when she almost fell due to the semi-frozen ground.

Carlisle was quick and held her tightly by the waist to prevent her from ending up on the ground. Lydia clung to the man's arms as she tried to stabilize herself.

"Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine," she cleared her throat and took a couple of steps back. "Thanks," she whispered.

Carlisle smiled.

When they settled at a table, a waiter approached to leave them the menu, but neither paid much attention to it. Lydia ordered something at random, and Carlisle just ordered a glass of water.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I can't digest any food. We only feed on blood."

She nodded.

"Carlisle, do you promise to answer all my questions honestly? And you won't keep any secrets, no matter how strange or terrifying they may be?"

The blond man thought for a moment. But he was going to tell her the truth.

"I promise."

Lydia extended her pinky finger as she stared directly into his eyes.

"For the pinky?"

He smiled tenderly. He really liked that girl and all the surprises she kept. He also stretched out his pinky and joined it with hers.

"For the pinky," he assured her.

Each settled into their seat, and there was a long moment of silence. Lydia didn't know where to start.

"Earlier... you said you can only feed on blood, but you also said you don't feed on humans."

He nodded.

"I feed on animals. Let's say it doesn't satisfy me as human blood would, but it keeps me strong. Vampires who have a different diet from ours have red eyes."

"Are there many vampires in the world?"

"Not as many as humans, but yes. I suppose there are quite a few."

"How old are you?"

He smiled amusedly.

"Twenty-seven," he spoke obviously.

She looked at him angrily and couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Carlisle."

"I'm sorry, but I had to do it," he cleared his throat. "I died at twenty-three and froze at that age, so to speak. Now I say I'm twenty-seven to keep up appearances, but I've been the same age for over three centuries."

She almost choked on her own saliva.

"I can't believe I really like an old man," she babbled, but Carlisle didn't overlook it.

"Do I appeal to you?"

Lydia didn't know what to say.

"I didn't mean... that's not... I'm the one asking the questions here."

She raised her hands in surrender, but the smile that spread across her face didn't disappear.

"Okay, go on."

"The sun."

"It doesn't affect us at all, although something strange happens. When a ray of sun hits our skin directly, it starts to sparkle, like a diamond. Forks is a town that is always cloudy, and it helps us maintain appearances."

"Do you turn into a bat?"

He laughed.

"No. Nothing you've read in fiction is true. We only die if our head is severed, garlic does nothing to us, stakes don't harm us completely. We never sleep; we're very fast and have great strength. The only thing I miss about being alive is food. It doesn't taste good."

It was a pretty clear summary.

"Your family?"

"They're all vampires too. We live on the same diet and don't harm anyone; we try to live like normal people, as far as possible. As you've noticed, we stand out quite a bit."

The waiter returned with Lydia's dish and Carlisle's glass of water. He wished them a pleasant evening and left.

"And you won't get tired of living for so long?"

This time he thought a little more about his answer. He had considered it sometime before, but it wasn't a constant thought.

"No. Maybe there was a time, but we all fall off a cliff at some point, although it's not something you can't save yourself from. I like helping people; I like being useful."

"How did you become a vampire?"

"The short version is that my father was a cleric who hunted vampires. On one occasion, he took me with him, but things went wrong, and I ended up turning into one of them. I tried to commit suicide in many different ways because I couldn't feed on any humans, but nothing worked, and then I discovered that

I could feed on animals. Since then, I've been like this."

Lydia pouted.

"Now I feel a little bad for hating you. You really seem like a good person."

He shrugged.

"You're a good person too, Lydia."

"In all that time you've lived... did you ever get married?"

He shook his head.

"Emotions in vampires are different compared to those of humans. We have more intense feelings, and when we fall in love, it's so intense that it lasts forever. It sounds very cliché, but that's how it works."

"You haven't married, but you've surely fallen in love at some point."

He stared into Lydia's eyes. Full of life and curiosity.

"Yes."

She smiled.

"Who?"

He didn't look away for a second from her opposite eyes.

"You."

She averted her gaze, very nervous; she wanted to bury her head in a bucket of cold water, but she couldn't move from that table."

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