“What’s wrong?”
“You are a natural,” gushed the man. “How did you get to be so good?”
Lestat waved his praise away, modestly. “I’ve been playing for a long time. I’m fairly sure I made a few mistakes.”
“Your boyfriend is too modest,” the gypsy woman said to Tiana.
Tiana blushed. “Oh, he’s not my...well...”
She looked at Lestat for help. He smiled. “We’re just friends.”
The woman laughed. “Nonsense! I see the way you look at her! You think I am blind?” Tiana’s blush deepenedas the woman turned to her. “Men aren’t as good as concealing emotions as women are.”
“Right,” Tiana laughed, shakily. She got to her feet. “It was lovely meeting you, but I really have to get back.”
“Well, you ever find yourself in a fix, look us up!” called the man as they left. “My name is Cassim and this is my wife, Chel.”
Tiana shot a sideways glance at Lestat, who seemed, if anything, a little amused by Chel’s words. Presently, just to break the tension, she said “You’re pretty amazing at that. Violin, I mean.”
“Thank you,” he replied, meeting her gaze. “Do you play anything?”
“No. I was never very good at Music. I didn’t really have the patience for it.”
“So, what is it you want to do then?” Tiana looked surprised and he laughed. “Come on! You can’t seriously tell me that you want to keep on working at the Blue Moon forever?”
He had a point. Tiana relaxed. “Well, I would like to be a chef. Actually, I’ve always dreamed of owning my own restaurant.”
“Really?”
“Since I was a child.” Tiana hopped up on the low stretch of wall alongside them and began to walk along it. “I always said “Daddy, when I grow up, I’m going to open up a restaurant called Tiana’s Place and people from all walks of life will come flocking to it.” He said that it wasn’t just enough to have a dream, because it takes hard work to make them come true. Every cent I earn working goes towards making the down payment.” She sighed. “Only, I don’t know, some days I wonder if I’m not just kidding myself.”
“What? Because you’re just someone who works in a bar?” Lestat walked up to the wall, looking up at her. “If you start thinking like that, you’ll never get anywhere.”
Tiana let his words sink in, they sounded so honest and sincere. “You really think I can do it?”
“Maybe,” he smiled, reaching his hand up to help her down. “With a little help.”
No other man she had ever met had thrilled and excited her in this way simply by being with her. What was it about him that she found so alluring? She noticed that he was still holding her hand even though she was now on the same level as him. He was holding it gently, as if she were made of glass and he was afraid that squeezing too hard would break her. “Lestat,” she found herself saying. “I really like being with you.”
He stepped closer to her, inhaling her scent. “I guess that makes two of us,” he murmured.
Tiana closed her eyes, feeling that he was about to kiss her. However, at the last second, she felt him pull away. She opened her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
He waited a moment for answering. “I just feel like we’re being watched.”
Tiana felt uneasy too and she stepped back from him. “I really need to go.”
“Yes,” he murmured, glancing around them, before looking back at her. His eyes were alert and suspicious, she noticed, although his face was an expression of calmness. “Of course.”
He walked with her, back to her house, all the while he seemed to be on watch, but for what? She didn’t ask. She hesitated as they reached the front door. “Do you want to come in or..?”
He smiled. “I’ll pass. You need your sleep. Goodnight, Tiana.”
“Am I going to see you again?” she blurted.
“I hope so.” Lestat leaned forwards and kissed her. Tiana immediately felt intoxicated; there was so much passion, so much hunger there in that one kiss. Instinct took over and she flung her arms around his neck and pressed closer to him, longing for more. She felt him chuckle softly against her lips as his arms encircled her. Again, his hold was gentle, like he was afraid of hurting her. Finally he pulled away and released her. His eyes were bright now. Tiana quickly caught hold of the door handle, feeling she might fall down without its support.
“I will definitely be seeing you again,” Lestat grinned and then he turned and set off down her porch steps. She watched him go, watching until the dark of night swallowed him up and then she busied herself with unlocking the door. Once inside, she leaned against the wall and then gave a little gleeful squeal, kicking up her heels in delight. His kisses were addictive, and so was he. She couldn’t wait to tell Belle and Meg about it.
Meanwhile, whilst Tiana revelled in the delight of his kisses, Lestat was making his way back to the spot he had sensed the danger in. Whatever it was he felt for Tiana, and he wasn’t entirely sure what that was just yet, he wasn’t about to let her become pray to whichever member of whichever clan was lurking in the shadows.
In an instant, he was no longer alone in the alley. “Well, well, well, Lestat,” said a voice he knew all too well. “I never thought I’d see you getting sappy over a human.”
“What are you doing here, Marius?” asked Lestat, without even turning around.
Marius de Romanus smirked as he walked up to Lestat. “Now is that any way to talk to an old friend?”
“For your information,” Lestat told him, coolly. “I’m not, as you so elegantly put it, getting sappy over a human. I just don’t have any desire to seduce her, feed off her and then abandon her, nor do I have any desire to suck her into a web of deceit.”
“So you’ve told her you’re a vampire, then?”
Lestat flinched. “That’s neither here nor there.”
“Look, Lestat, I know you. You’ve toyed with her. You’ve sucked her in. She is putty in your hands right now. Tomorrow you’ll be sucking her dry until she’s just a husk and then tossing her away like an old rag doll-!”
With an inhumane effort that only came from being a vampire, Lestat pinned him to the wall in a split second. “Don’t you talk about her like that!”
Marius laughed in delight. “Well, well! Has someone got a little crush?”
Lestat scowled at him. “Tiana’s different. I don’t want to feed on her.”
“But isn’t it tempting?” Marius leered. “The scent of her blood every time she’s near you...don’t you want to just drain her dry? How can you possibly resist?”
“I’m stronger than you think I am.” Lestat tossed him to one side. Marius grinned and got to his feet. “So, you’re not going to drink from her? Fine. Mind if I do?”
“Don’t you dare!”
Marius laughed. “I was right!”
“If you ever come near her,” Lestat hissed. “I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
“And then you’ll be tracked down by the vampire elders and killed too,” Marius smirked.
“I don’t care.”
Marius threw back his head and laughed. “Well, I never! A Lestat with no fear of death! There’s something else I never thought I’d live to see!”
“I mean it,” Lestat said, stepping up to him. “Stay away from Tiana.”
The next morning, Tiana woke up, feeling refreshed and happy. She had slept blissfully and now she pulled on a clean yellow dress and attempted to tame her hair into place, humming Lady in Red as she did so. She felt extremely cheerful and more ready than ever to meet the girls.
Belle was the first of the trio to arrive, as usual, and she took their usual spot by the window with her book until Tiana knocked on the window, causing her to look up. Belle beamed and waved. “Hey!”
Tiana hurried into the cafe’ and hugged her friend. “Hey, Belle! I’m so glad to see you! I’ve got so much to tell you!”
Belle laughed. “Goodness, Tiana! You’re positively glowing!” She raised one eyebrow. “Did someone have a good night last night?”
Tiana laughed. “Like you wouldn’t believe! He’s so- but I shouldn’t say anything until Meg gets here! I can’t wait to see what she’ll make of it all!”
Belle grinned. “Did you know she’s given up drinking – again?”
“Yeah, that’ll last about ten seconds!” Tiana giggled.
Meg showed up two minutes later. “Sorry, sorry, sorry I’m late!” she gabbled, sliding into a seat.
“Meg, you’re always late, honey, we’re used to it!” grinned Tiana, giving her a hug.
“So, go on, then,” smiled Belle, pulling out her napkin after they had made their orders. “Tell us all about this Lestat guy, then? I did ask Adam if he knew-”
“Oh, so it’s Adam now, is it?” Meg raised her eyebrow. “What happened to “Prince Adam” or “my employer?”
Belle blushed. “He said just to call him Adam; it’s easier that way.”
“Go on, Belle,” said Tiana. “What were you saying?”
“Well, I asked him if he knew the name and he said he had heard it in some circles, but he doesn’t know him personally. Now you tell us what he’s like.”
Tiana told them the entire story. “And then he did kiss me,” she finished, hugging herself gleefully. “It came right out of nowhere.”
“Did he take you in his arms and hold you close?” teased Meg.
“Well, yeah, as a matter of fact.” Tiana took the pancakes the waitress handed to her. “God, I’m starving!”
“Oh, me too!” Belle smiled, scooping up a spoonful of porridge. “Mm!”
“Doesn’t he feed you at that palace?” Meg grinned.
“Shut up,” Belle replied, tossing her napkin at her.
Tiana laughed. “So, lovergirl, are you going to see him again?” Meg asked.
“He said definitely.”
“Oh, I’m so happy for you,” Belle smiled.
“I know, you guys!” Tiana sighed. “So am I!”
“So, lovergirl, are you going to see him again?”
