Chapter 2

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 a suggestive 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.

"Uh, I had this cleaned... five months ago?" She laughed 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 woman shook her head. "Yeah, most people book earlier than that but in the end they decided 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 heaved a breath and nodded with his face blank. "Clean the place for me then. The money was deposited last week. When did you thought I would come, 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 two blocks 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 wanted me to stay in a cafe shop for full six hours. That's feasible. I am ecstatic."

"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 neighborhood. '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 laughed 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.

"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 rung. 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 the 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.

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

The 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 drives her 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?'

"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 remained guarded. "Yes, I am indeed friendly. How did you know?"

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

Dolly scrunched her nose. The man laughed lightly. He looked up with an unbelieving face. "God… should I thank you or not?"

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."

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

'He smells unique.' Dolly grinned. 'He had that strawberry-chocolate scent.'

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

"I'm not using…" Max' faltered but then leaned over and asked, "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 amazing. Then… do you know you smell like aged wine and oak to me?"

Dolly's mouth slacked. She defended, "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!"

"Are you close with that Fin? Why are you together?"

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 his actions. 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.

"…anyway, you're a vampire, right? So, uh, you don't feed on humans, right?"

Max shrugged carelessly. His pensive frown didn't fade 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 ignore the guy as she make his order.

A cough made her jump. Max had moved from the chair to the counter. He leaned with an honest 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. "Then… then that's great! Feeding on humans are bad."

"Yes." Max agreed with his soothing tone. "Yes, that's right."

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

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

Dolly was satisfied that he knows how to listen to her.