Chapter 36

Rob was much more at ease this time as he prepared for his date. He decided that wearing his usual track suit would send exactly the wrong message, so he pulled out a pair of comfortable old jeans that had been set aside due to a hole in the knee, and slipped on an old college sweatshirt. All in all, he looked a lot like he did in his college days, only he was in much better shape now then he had been back then. He threw on an pair of old trainers to complete the look.

He had wanted this to be at least a little bit special, so he'd called the limo company ahead of time and made arrangements for a car and driver for the night. He had to pay extra to keep the car on retention, but he figured it was worth the cost.

The driver arrived right on time and called Rob from the street on his cell phone. Rob in turn called Dawn to let her know he was on the way. He put on an old bomber jacket his dad had given him and raced down the stairs. The driver already had the information he needed and took off for Dawn's place.

When they pulled up, she was standing at the top of the stoop keeping a lookout for an approaching cab. She was mildly astonished when Rob got out of the town car and climbed the steps to greet her.

"What did you do?" she asked dubiously.

"I just wanted you to travel in comfort," he replied easily. "And this way, when you're ready to leave, a car will be waiting for you."

She looked at him like he'd lost his mind, but climbed eagerly into the car anyway. The ride was definitely nicer than the typical street cab, and smelled a whole lot better.

"So," he said, once they were under way. "Still want to come over, or is there something else you'd like to do?"

She looked done shyly and shook her head. "No, nothing else."

He lifted her face to his and lightly kissed her lips.

"Where's that girl I met at Doug's?" he asked teasingly. "Where's the girl who talked a recluse into coming to a party, hmm?"

She looked down and shook her head. When she looked up again, she had a new determination in her eyes.

"Rob, that night with Doug was just for fun. I knew he and I would never be serious, so it didn't really matter what we did. But you..." She shook her head and looked away. "You looked like you could use a friend. You looked like you needed to get outside of yourself and just have some fun. Who knew I would end up here with you now?"

She turned to look at him again. "Rob, I feel something with you. We could have something together, even with this thing with Elaina complicating things. And even that feels right. She's already been a good friend to me."

"Dawn..."

"No. Let's not talk about it. Let's just be together and enjoy each other's company. We'll work this out later." Having said her piece, she cuddled up to him for the rest of the ride. Rob thought she felt just right, right where she was.

He thought about how he felt with each of the women. With Elaina, it was all about the energy, the danger of who and what she was. She was the tiger and he couldn't let go of her tail. It was different with Dawn. He felt protective, like he wanted to wrap her in his arms and keep the world at bay.

His thoughts were interrupted by the driver announcing they had arrived. He took the card the driver offered and was told he would be no more than five minutes away at any time. They got out of the car and went to the front door. The driver waited until they were in before pulling away.

He took her coat once they were in his place, and then he offered her a choice of beverages. She asked for wine, answering that red was fine when asked. He hurriedly rearranged the furniture in the living room, telling her he'd needed room for a workout and forgotten to put things back afterwards. He pointed to the stack of movies he had and told her to pick one out. Strangely enough, she came up with his new all-time favorite, "Let Me In." He thought it ironic that she would pick that one, seeing as Elaina was a vampire.

"I think you're going to like that one," he commented. "It's different from other movies in its genre."

She had left her shoes in the foyer beside Rob's and curled up on the couch in that way only women can, with her legs drawn up and to the side. Rob thought it must have something to do with the way a woman's hips were jointed.

He popped fresh popcorn at the stove, and buttered and seasoned it before bringing it in. He got the movie in and started, then joined her on the couch, sitting where she indicated. She snuggled to his shoulder once he settled in, and then the previews ended and the movie began.

As he had predicted, she found the movie fascinating, and she was full of questions when the movie ended. He laughingly answered as many as he could, taking sips from his wine while she prattled on.

He got up and turned off the player and the screen, tuning in a light-music station on the radio. He returned to his seat and they continued to talk about anything and everything. The evening might have gone all night if it wasn't for Dawn suddenly yawning into the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry, Rob. That was rude of me," she said embarrassed.

He looked at the clock and saw it was late. "No, that's okay. We've been talking for longer than you might think." He pointed to the clock on the player and she exclaimed at the hour.

"I need to get home," she said reluctantly. "I'm going to be tired in the morning as it is."

He smiled and leaned in for a kiss. She took it up a notch by putting her arms around his neck and running her nails through his hair at the nape. He put his arms around her in turn and rubbed her back. They broke apart grudgingly, but they both knew it was time for her to go. Deciding to peek, Rob spun up and scented for her arousal. He smiled to himself, knowing she was as aroused as he was. She cheated and dropped a hand with seeming negligence to his lap to find her own confirmation. She smiled as only a woman could smile, having proof she was in fact desirable.

They got up from the couch and she helped him tidy up, taking the detritus to the kitchen. He called the driver and was told the car was ready: the driver had judged the hour to be late and had anticipated being called. Rob helped her with her coat then put on his own. They walked the stairs together to the front. They kissed one last time before she got in and was whisked away home.

Rob stuck his hands in his jacket's pockets and watched the receding taillights. Once they turned a corner and were lost to sight, he turned and went back to his apartment. He met Doug coming down; Doug gave Rob a strange look without saying anything. Rob wondered what that was about, then shrugged it off. He and Doug hadn't gotten along since the time he'd hit on Elaina. Rob entertained the thought that perhaps Doug had seen him with Dawn and laughed at what might be going through his head.

He let himself back into his apartment and tossed the keys to the side table. He briefly considered at least practicing his kata, feeling slightly guilty for slacking off, then promised himself he would get to them in the morning. In his mind, it had been for a good cause.

He went to bed satisfied with the way the date had worked out.

Without the alarm to wake him, he unintentionally slept in and woke to see the morning light streaming through his window. He'd opened the curtains last night, knowing Elaina wouldn't be there in the morning, wanting some light in his room. He stretched and yawned, scratching himself as he smacked his lips.

Remembering his promise from the night before, he got up and brushed his teeth, then dressed in his workout clothes. He pulled down the machine and got it set, then he went through his usual warm up. Forty-five minutes later and dripping with sweat, he put up the machine, taking care to wipe everything down first. He rinsed off in the shower and dressed in his uniform, intending to practice after he ate breakfast. He grabbed the remote and closed the curtains, not wanting to forget in case Elaina came home earlier than he anticipated.

He ate a light breakfast consisting of a fruit salad Elaina had left for him. He lounged around for a bit drinking his coffee. He turned on a news channel and quickly decided there was nothing worthwhile there. He stumbled across a nature channel and watched the antics of a family of meerkats for about an hour before he decided to get back to his workout.

He once again rearranged his living room and went about practicing his kata. This time he tried setting the speed for each repetition to slow for the first, faster for the second, and full speed ahead for the third. It didn't seem to help much, but he wasn't losing his balance anymore, so he kept at it.

Half way through the third set of repetitions, the front door opened. Rob was facing the wrong way at the time so he didn't see Elaina slip in. She pulled off her mask and watched as he went through the moves, noting the lethality of his strikes, even though they were deathly slow to a vampire. Her eyes began to shine watching him.

The last move of the kata had him spinning around, striking a phantom opponent with a knife-hand to the throat. When he spotted her standing there with her mask hanging from her hand, he stood up straight and bowed to her. Then abandoning all dignity, he lunged for her and drew her into a needy hug. She returned the hug, nearly breaking his ribs with her strength: he just held on.

He pulled back and put his hands on her cheeks, looking intently into her eyes.

"I cannot believe how much I missed you," he said vehemently.

"Not nearly as much as I missed you," she answered back softly. "I missed you every moment I was away."

He helped her out of her cloak, then took the pieces of her armor with the intent of putting them away. She followed him into the bedroom and grabbed him in another hug when he was done. They stood for a time out of mind, simply holding each other and rocking gently. Rob finally pulled away and kissed her with all the love and longing he had in his heart. She returned the kiss gladly and with interest.

She pulled away in the end, declaring she needed a shower. He offered to help and she accepted his offer.