C2 Chapter 2

HE SHOULD HAVE guessed that Janette hated him so much. He stared at the junk of an apartment that the woman reserved for his small vacation from work. It was indeed bare and bland from the outside but for Lucifer's cry, the inch thick of dirt covering the living area tickled his innate demand for cleanliness. He wanted to order someone and tear the woman's prided garden now. 'Just so you wait, Janette. You towered over all demons and monsters!'

"Mr. Adenhart, you called me for help?" The landlady smiled. Her gaze went past Max with an appreciative gleam. She stepped inside the threshold and immediately grimaced. "Oh, mama... Jesus Christ, what devil resided in here on the past few months? I thought I had it all cleaned up!"

"Since when?" Max curtly asked. His voice frosty and biting.

"Uh, I had this cleaned... five months ago?" She laugh with unease. "I mean, it's not like we have new residents here every month. At most I can only have… three to four tenants for a year. It's a waste to have everything cleaned up with no people to fill in. I'll only lose money and gain nothing for that."

"I booked two weeks ago."

‘The money should be deposited the day Janette booked in.’ She’s not that tactless.

The woman shook her head. "Yeah, most people book earlier than that but in the end they all decide to back out. That's why I do things at the very last moment so I won't be played at, yeah? I heard you're a businessman too, Mr. Adenhart. I hope you can understand me."

Max heave a breath and nodded with his face blank. "Clean the place for me, then. The money was deposited on the day of reservation. When did you thought I would arrive, next year? As far as I know, that's not how you do business."

The landlady was well versed in the situation. It was though this wasn't the first time that it had happened. "As I've said, in a remote town like Little Maddison, most tenants would choose to back out once they saw the entire place. I'm really sorry for this. How about… you stay on the cafe shop one block from here and I'll have your apartment sparkly clean by dusk. It's good, yeah?"

'Yes. God really do hate us.' Max lowered his eyes to the watch on his wrist and nodded grimly. "It's barely lunch and you want me to stay in a cafe for full six hours. That's feasible. I am ecstatic."

Max will leave a three point zero star rating on their website.

"Ah!" The woman sighed with relief. She choose not to notice his sarcasm. "You're a good man. You can talk to Dolly the whole afternoon. She's a friendly woman, I tell you."

'I went here to escape talking nonstop for work and now you want me to play a rational conversationalist? Not gonna happen.' Maximilian fixed his tie and set afoot to his journey in the new neighbourhood. 'Cafe. Cafe. Cafe.'

"WELCOME TO DELI cafe!" Dolly pleasantly beamed as she welcomed the fourth customer on that morning. It was a teenage girl with a large red beanie. "Rika, how's your swimming class going on?"

"It was awful." Rika threw her rucksack on the nearest chair before strutting to the counter. She complained, "It was so noisy. Stella was being a bitch again and everybody just keeps on saying 'yes' to her whims. I hate it."

'It was the usual stuff, then.' Dolly nodded her head earnestly. "Don't mind her, Rika. I've seen that girl here a few times before. She seems like a good kid."

"Oh, my God, Dolly! Don't be fooled by her large puppy eyes. She barks like a full pledged Siberian husky, I tell you!"

Dolly grinned despite the mean things the girl had said. "She knew how to dress 'properly'."

"Who needs to dress 'properly' if we can have our own fashion statement? I love my loose pants. No one can take them away from me." Rika sulked. "A caramel frappe, please?"

"Hmn. Love that choice!" Dolly turned to make her order. The girl stared at her back.

‘It’s good that she calmed easily this time.’

"There's a weird guy on the street," Rika started, "he's dressed like a freak. But a handsome freak though. I think… I think I like him. His style is different from everyone else's."

'The weird guy?' Dolly halted. 'It's been thrice since this morning that he's mentioned.'

"In this town, wearing a suit under a humid weather is considered wrong," she commented.

The wind chimes rang. Light steps entered the shop. A deep voice hummed before asking, "Why is that?"

"Meep!" Rika shrieked. "Dolly, Dolly! You have to reserve this drink. I— I'll come back, I promise!"

Dolly called after her. She managed to put the straw in a to-go cup before looking to the stranger in front.

Now she understood why Rika didn't stop for a moment to snatch the bag on the chair before running away.

On his height of 6 foot and 3 inches, the man appeared strong and respectable in his black mourning suit. Dolly struggled to look away from his steel gray eyes and failed to notice how the man stared at her face with unflinching tenacity in return.

She shuffled on her feet. Dolly tried to smile but her mind shrank the moment she raised her sight to his face.

His sword-like brow suggested youth and vigor. His nose stood proud and mighty without the presence of a bump. His mouth, thin and pale pink, was straight as iron. It was obvious that he didn't like to smile.

"Hi…" Her voice sounded shy and excited. It almost make her flinch in shame. "I'm Dolly. Wel— Welcome to Deli cafe!"

The man sighed deeply. Dolly became weary in just a flash. 'Am I too antsy?'

It’s her first time seeing such a handsome man. ‘Am I being too obvious? I just welcomed him though.’

"You're a rabbit shifter?" he asked. His voice quality mellow and soft. He knew that the question might rattle her. "And a friendly one at that."

"Yes." Dolly took a step back and sniffed discreetly. The guy noticed her movement. His lips twitched but his entire demeanor remain guarded. "Yes, I am indeed friendly. How did you know?"

"How did I know that you're friendly?"

“About me... being a shifter.” Dolly scrunched her nose. The man chuckled. He looked up with an unbelieving face. "God… should I thank you or not?"

Dolly frowned. This man look resigned and even... a bit mollified about something.

She shrugged. "A thank you is fine, although I'm not giving your orders yet. You're welcome!"

He snorted but the mirth was clear on his eyes. "Hmn, I'm a vampire shifter named Maximilian Adenhart. And as for the drink..."

'Maximilian…' He got a nice name. Dolly tiptoed to be closer to him. "Anything. I can make you anything."

It was late when Dolly realized she sounded too boastful when she said that. Her cheeks reddened in shame.

Maximilian's eyes squinted. A small smile appeared on his lips. "Are you flirting with me?"

'He smells unique.' Dolly was momentarily speechless. 'He has that strawberry-chocolate scent.'

"I'm not! That's not a good thing to do when you're working!" She hesitated a bit, then divulge, "It was your perfume."

"I'm not using…" Max' faltered but then lean over to ask, "What do I smell like?"

"Strawberries dipped in warm chocolate," she stated truthfully, "really amazing smell."

Max broke in a loud cackle. The sound tickled Dolly's chest. "You're delightfully honest. Then… do you know you smell like aged wine and oak to me?"

Dolly's mouth slack open. She defended herself, "I don't drink so the smell of wine is not from me—" She inhaled deeply and nearly whimpered because of the sickly sweet scent. "You… there's only your scent around."

Max swallowed and said deliberately, "So… what do you think of strawberries and chocolate, dear?"

"Fin would like that," Dolly said as a matter of fact, "he's a guy living with me. If your scent calms me then maybe it has the same reaction to him."

"Fin…" Max murmured. The light in his eyes dimmed. "Can I have a black coffee, Dolly? The blackest possible, please."

Dolly laughed nervously. She fumbled through the stacks of paper towels. "That's bitter!"

"Is this Fin your lover?"

“Oh... no.”

She figured it must be okay for him to know since he’s a shifter. He will understand.

Dolly launched in a precise story while Maximilian took a chair from a set table and place it right in front of the counter. Dolly was pleased by this action. She didn't know why but the need to secure the man and assure that he gets all his trivial needs sends a scratch on the soles of her feet. It warms her insides.

‘Is this the feeling of liking someone for the first time?’

"…anyway, you're a vampire, right? So, uh, you feed on humans, no?"

Max shrug carelessly. His pensive frown didn't ebb after Dolly told him her escape. "I feed on humans but you don't need to worry. I make sure that they are willing."

'Willing?' Dolly stealthily snatched a handful of glances at him for a few times until she understood what he means to say. 'Willing victims? Of course! Who wouldn't be willing to you, Maximilian? Do you even own a mirror?'

Dolly's stomach soured on the idea. She hunched over the spotless counter and wiped it repeatedly. It was an endless cycle. She decided to be quiet as she make his order.

A cough made her jump. Max had moved from the chair to the counter. He leaned with an eager pair of eyes while saying, "I stopped feeding from them eight months ago. I'm a five hundred year old bat. This one can go longer without blood."

'Five hundred years old?' Dolly throw the knowledge at the back of her mind. Vampires were known for their timeless beauty, and this is her first time meeting one. "Then… then that's great! Feeding on humans can be bad. My parents used to tell me that overfeeding can cause obsession."

"Yes." Max agreed with his soothing tone. His eyes went blank for a few seconds before it recovered. "Yes, that's right."

"Especially when it's ladies' blood. It—It tastes bitter."

‘Where did I get that?’ Dolly’s head warmed like an oven.

Max chuckled. "Yes. I agree. No more from now on."

Dolly was not satisfied though she can understand him. They’ve only met. His expression clearly states that he’s only pacifying her mood. ‘What an empty response!’