Haider’s POV:

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Well, that offer had been a bust. I had tossed it out there, and she had looked at me as if I were aplete idiot. She hadn’t seemed so enthusiastic as she declined my offer. She had even warned me not to offer such a thing to any vampire again. Apparently, she thought her kind would easily take advantage of me, as if I were some kind of gullible child.

Why would I offer that to anyone else but her?

I pushed off the bed now, the memory of our conversation a strange, exhrating jolt to my system. The prospect of a Monday morning ss, a thing I had dreaded for the past two weeks, was now a source of an almost painful anticipation. I couldn’t believe it. I was actually d for university. The thought was so absurd that I almostughed. But then, a cold, sharp dread coiled in my gut. What if she didn’te? What ifst night was just a fever dream, a brief, strange interlude that she would forget by the morning? The thought was like a snowball rolling down a hill, bing a massive, insurmountable ball of depression as I showered and got ready.

I let the hot water beat against my back, my eyes closed. Her name–Sienna–her scent, a sweet, earthy mix of roses, her eyes onyx brown like a fox’s, her constantly expressionless face—it all popped up in my mind again and again, a constant, nagging presence. She was the first girl I had ever encountered who never smiled when speaking to me. Her expressions were always so deadpan that you’d think she hated you. But none of her words conveyed hatred; she didn’t seem like the egotistical type either, just blunt. Her tone was mostly respectful, even as she delivered a cold, almost cruel truth.

Then why was she so rude yesterday in the morning? I had questioned that before, but now, with the memory of her face, of her quiet vulnerability in the diner while she told me that she can’t taste food much, it made even less sense. Professor Shinichiro had told me she was unwilling to attend university because she was unsocial.

But what if it was more than that? Maybe she had a fight with her aunt? Maybe she was depressed? I mean, only a depressed person would be like that, right? I couldn’t help but think, did she get bullied in primary school? Is that why she hated going to university?

“Haider?” Mom’s voice snapped out of my thoughts. “Are you okay, honey? You aren’t eating anything.”

I looked down at the omelet on my te, and realized I hadn’t even picked up my fork. “Sorry, lost in thoughts,” I said, picking up my fork and taking a bite.

“Thoughts about what?” Father teased, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Did you finally fall in love?”

I stiffened. The word, a simple, innocent thing, felt like a thunderp in my chest. Love, huh? Was that what this was? A quiet, unsettling feeling that went beyond a simple crush or a fleeting infatuation? I had had those. They were all loud, boisterous things. But this… this felt different. It was a quiet, almost painful ache.

The table went silent when I didn’t answer. Mom put down her own fork, her eyes wide with a sudden, breathless excitement. “Oh, my God. Seriously? Who is she?” She paused, her eyes widening even further. “Or, is it a he?”

I shook my head, a small, weary smile on my face. “It’s not a he… But it’s not exactly love. She’s just… well…” I

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trailed off, the words unable to form. How could I describe her? The girl who was a ghost and a force of nature all in one. A vampire who needed to drink human blood.

Mom gasped again, her own breakfast long forgotten. Her eyes were shining with a kind of hopeful, childlike wonder. “Oh, dear. How wonderful! How did you two meet? Was it at university?”

I paused, the lie forming in my mind with an almost painful ease. I couldn’t exactly tell her that we met the previous night and she was a vampire. Dad had specifically forbidden me after all. So I just nodded.

“Yeah. In university… she ran into me and spilled all her coffee.” I couldn’t help but smile, the memory of her annoyed, confused face a warm,forting thing. It wasn’t a lie. She had run into me, after all.

Only when I looked up did I find my parents looking at each other, their brows raised in a strange, knowing way. A quiet conversation passed between them.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“What a coincidence. Maybe you’ve also found your future wife,” Dad said with a smile, the words a gentle, teasing thing. My brows rose in surprise as I finally processed what he was implying.

“Seriously? You never told me how you guys met actually,” I said, genuinely curious now.

Dad shook his head. “Your mother actually forgot as well. She only rememberedter on that the first time we met was when she spilled all her coffee on me and ran away cursing.” He smiled, his eyes dazed as he looked at my mom in ‘that‘ way. I instantly cringed, the sight of their lovey–dovey antics a source of profound difort. But then, a thought, so sudden and so profound, stopped my cringing dead in its tracks.

“You cursed iat /ihim too?” I looked iat /iMom, my voice a quiet, astonished whisper.

She shook her head, a small, flustered smile on her face. “He must have remembered wrong. I was a very polite person. I wouldn’t do thati./i” She said, but I noticed her ears going red, a sure sign that she was lying. It was her distinct feature. You could always tell when she was embarrassed or lying. My heart, which had been so low moments ago, suddenly kicked into overdrive. It wasn’t just a coincidence. It was a parallel. It was….. a sign.

I went silent, not speaking. I couldn’t help the racing of my heart. I wasn’t really the type to believe in destiny and shit. But this seemed pretty fucking magical if you asked me.

I picked up my bag then as I downed the juice, having finished my omelet. I got up, the nervous energy in my body tangible, and kissed Mom’s forehead. I waved goodbye to Dad. “Well, I’m off. Don’t have too much fun without me!” I said. I made my way down the stairs to the awaiting driver, my mind a whirlwind of possibilities.

However, the smile didn’tst long. I entered my first ssroom and looked around to see the sspletely jam–packed with students. The air was thick with the scent of perfume and body wash, a cacophony of hushed conversations and rustling papers. Only a couple of seats were empty at the back, making my brows raise up. I scanned the room, searching through the crowd. My heart slowly fell as bI /bdidn’t bsee /bher anywhere.

I pursed my lips, a bitter, disappointing feeling in my mouth. If she was a business major, then she would have definitely showed up to this ss. It was Intro to Business, a mandatory course for all freshmen.

20:28 Fri, Sep b19 /bN

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As I made my way to the empty seat, I tried to make peace with the fact that maybe she just wasn’t going toe. My gut churned, a low, unpleasant feeling that had nothing to do with hunger. I shouldn’t be feeling this low, right? It wasn’t like we even knew each other all that much. In fact, we couldn’t even be called friends at this rate. We were just two people who had a strange, surreal encounter. Nothing more.

After ten minutes of the professor’s spiel, which I barely listened to, there was a knock on the door. I had been staring at the whiteboard, my mind a million miles away, but the sound made me snap my head up. The crowd of students looked as the door was pulled open. Instantly, my eyes widened, and my heart kicked into overdrive. I recognized the ck hoodie. She was wearing ck jeans today, too.

But then I frowned, my eyes narrowing as I noticed her. She was pale even before, but right now she looked… worse. Her skin, which had been a porcin white, was now a translucent, almost ghostly gray.

She looked….like she was about to faint.

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