“Great.” Karim finished pouring the rest into the other glass. They were half full when he was finished, Luis’s blood a deep ruby red, already staining the glass as Karim picked them up and jostled the liquid. “Cheers,” he said, offering the other glass to Julien.
The man took it, but something in his jaw twitched. “Must you be so uncouth.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Karim said, and then brought the glass to his lips and took a pointed sip. Luis stood there and watched, didn’t know what else to do. The vampire licked his lips and then hummed. He took another long sip.
“Excuse me,” Julien said stiffly, and took his glass and left the room.
“Jules,” Karim called after him, but the other vampire did not return.
Karim huffed and retook his seat on the couch, gesturing for Luis to sit. He did so on the couch across from Karim. There was something squirming in Luis’s stomach. He felt too warm, but not disgusted.
“Him and propriety, I swear,” Karim grumbled. He took another sip, leaning back into the couch lazily. Then he eyed Luis. “You good?”
“I am. I think? It’s… weird, but…” he shrugged. His body was a swirl of emotion he couldn’t put name to.
“Yeah, that’s what I told Jules. I knew you’d be okay. You’re adaptable.”
Luis blinked at him.
“What?” Karim said, smiling with fangs. “Is a compliment that out of character?”
“Considering I can’t think of any other time you’ve ever done it…” Luis trailed off.
Karim chuckled and took another sip. “I’m adaptable too.”
“Uh huh,” Luis couldn’t stop looking at the glass, at how quickly Karim was draining it.
“Is Julien coming back?” Luis asked after a few seconds.
Karim waved a hand in the direction he’d disappeared. “Yeah. Don’t worry about him, he’ll get a lot more relaxed when he gets it that you’re not fragile.”
“What? Fragile?” Luis frowned. He’d never thought of himself as fragile, but he supposed from a vampire’s perspective, humans were. Still, Luis didn’t like it.
“Oh,” Karim sat forward quickly and reached for another bottle that had been sitting on the coffee table. It was bright orange and unlabeled. “This is for you.”
He chucked the bottle at Luis. Luis fumbled, but managed to catch it.
“Drink it so Jules doesn’t come back and lecture me for neglecting your health,” Karim said.
Luis looked at him, then at the bottle. It was unlabeled. Homemade? He hadn’t been offered a sugary drink after losing blood in years.
Now, he twisted the cap off and gave it a tentative sip. It was a mango juice blend, sweet and cold.
“Mango’s my favorite,” Luis said after he’d taken a few swallows.
“I know,” Karim tipped his glass back to finish it, then set it down on the table.
“How do you know?” Luis asked.
Karim shrugged and fished his phone out of his pocket. “A couple of months ago one of the bars had a virgin mango mojito for the summer special. You got excited and ordered it because mango’s your favorite.”
Luis remembered that vaguely. He hadn’t thought Karim had been paying attention though. “Oh.”
Karim kept tapping at his phone. Luis sipped his juice, unsure what else to do. He knew how to handle a prickly, contentious Karim. He didn’t know what to do with this one.
“So…” Luis started when the silence had gone on too long.
“Just ask,” Karim said.
