“How do you feel about the beach?” Julien asked the next morning at breakfast.
It was after sundown, and two hours after Luis had woken up sandwiched between the two of them, having slept through the night for the first time since the basement.
He felt, in contrast to the days prior, remarkably better. His exhaustion and the dark cloud that had been hanging over him had both dissipated.
Even his hand now had just a pale scar.
“I like the beach,” Luis said.
“I thought it might be nice to get out of the house, stretch our legs,” Julien said.
“Are you sure that’s… safe?” Luis asked. Neither had so much as even suggested they go to the bar the last two Fridays.
“Well,” Julien smoothed the napkin at his setting. He was having a glass of blood, no food. “I was thinking about it, and well, it’s never going to be truly safe, is it? It’ll be a long time until a court gets a conviction, and someone who wishes us harm could already be out on bail. Are we going to hide away in this house until then? No, I don’t think that’s practical.”
Luis frowned. “I couldn’t handle it if anything happened to either one of you.”
“Quit worrying,” Karim said from the other side of the table. “Vampires are tough to kill. Someone would have to get pretty close and be willing to do a lot of physical violence to achieve that, and personally I’d love someone to try me.”
Luis wanted to ask just how tough to kill they were, but also didn’t want the gory details.
“It’s you we worry about,” Julien said. “But if we all go out together, I think it could be nice. We’ll drive a ways, make sure no one is following us. What do you think?”
Karim had made him an omelet for breakfast, and Luis forked the last bite and stuck it in his mouth while he thought it through.
He saw Julien’s point. At some point he’d have to go back to living his life. Wasn’t that what all the applications for apartments were about?
“Okay,” he said after he swallowed. “Okay, yeah. Let’s… go to the beach.”
“Yes, fieldtrip!” Karim grinned, grabbing his untouched glass for the first time. He tipped it and downed the whole thing in one long swallow, then grimaced.
“Dramatic,” Julien scolded. Then to Luis, “Alright, after breakfast we’ll pack up and go.”
##
An hour later the three of them were in the car and dressed for the beach. Julien drove, and Karim put on Indian pop music.
It was a cool, nice night, so Julien cracked the windows to let a breeze blow through as he drove toward the coast. Luis caught Karim’s eyes a few times in the rearview as he kept a sharp lookout for any tails.
Despite the hour, when they pulled into the beach parking lot, there were a few other cars there. Across the sand Luis could see other beachgoers in clumps dotting the shoreline.
With towels, a cooler, and beach chairs in tow, the three of them walked down toward the water until they were able to find a quiet spot to set up. Luis didn’t miss the two of them scanning the beach, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Julien and Karim set up the chairs, and Luis laid out the blanket. The drive had been relaxing, but now he was antsy with nervous energy.
“We weren’t followed,” Karim said.
“I know. Sorry,” Luis toed out of his shoes and set them aside. The sand was underfoot.
Julien’s hand touched his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “It’s okay to feel nervous. Just know that you’re safe with us.”
“I’ll kick anyone’s ass who bothers you,” Karim said.
Luis’s shoulders jumped with a startled laugh. “I do, um, feel safe with you both.”
“Good,” Julien said, letting him go to slide elegantly down into his beach chair.
“C’mon, let’s go swimming,” Karim said, starting to pull off his shirt. It was clearly a distraction, and Luis let it be one.
