Page 13 of Somewhere Between Falling

“Right this way,” he said, grabbing his bag and his car keys. I followed him out and couldn’t help but glance around quickly to make sure that no one would see me getting in his car. I knew I was being silly, but at the same time, I couldn’t help it. I got in and was immediately encased in the intoxicating scent of Tobias’s cologne mixed with old books. I looked in the backseat and, sure enough, there was a stack of leather-bound books with yellowed pages.

“What are those?”

“Oh, just some light reading,” he teased. “Working on my dissertation.”

“Right, still a student. What’s it about?”

“Folkloric symbolism in Russian literature—specifically the vampire myth.”

“Vampires, really?” I asked in disbelief. He nodded, so I continued, “I never would have pegged you for a vampire guy. So, what’s your opinion about vampires of the sparkly nature?”

He laughed. “Glittery bloodsuckers don’t interest me.I’m more interested in the vampire’s function within Russian literature.” Seeing my blank stare, he continued, “By identifying the shifts in imagery in selected Russian vampiric works, I am able to examine how it relates to the societal changes of the different time periods.”

“I have no idea what any of that means.”

He laughed. “You know, sometimes I’m not really sure I understand it myself.”

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, which allowed me to sneak glances at him as he concentrated on the road. He fiddled with the radio, ultimately deciding nothing good was playing before he switched to his phone. A quick swipe and the most bizarre noise came blaring out of the speakers.

“What is this?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“You aren’t familiar with the musical stylings of the one and only Björk?”

“Can’t say that I am,” I answered, scrunching up my nose. It definitely wasn’t my style.

“And to think I thought you were cultured,” he mocked.

“Just because I like actual music doesn’t mean I’m not cultured. I’m plenty cultured. This is just weird.”

He made a tsking sound and shook his head in disbelief. “I’m not sure we can be friends anymore.”

“Well considering we weren’t friends to begin with …” I said pointedly. He frowned slightly, which prompted me to say quickly, “I’m only partially joking.”

“Then I’m only partially offended.” He offered me a small smile in response. He pulled into the dorm parking lot, as close as he could get to the doors.

“Thanks for the ride. I feel like I owe you big time,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt.

“How about dinner?” he asked suddenly.

“What?” I asked, unable to contain my shock.

“There’s a place I know, it’s outside of town where our chances of seeing anyone remotely familiar are slim to none,” he said with a sly smile, but it was the unmistakable hopeful look in his eyes that swayed me.

“Okay, when?”

“I’m free.”

It took me a minute to realize what he was saying. “Oh, like right now?”

“No time like the present,” he said, just as my stomach growled, which caused his smirk to widen. I knew I should say no, but every fiber of my being told me to say yes.

“Um, I guess I could eat,” I conceded, rebuckling my seatbelt. It was just dinner after all.

“As you wish,” he said, awfully pleased with himself, as he put the car back in drive.

When he said he knew a place outside of town, he really meant outside of town. The winding road seemed to be never ending, and it was nearly dusk before he finally pulled into a gravel parking lot in front of a restaurant literally carved into the side of a small, rocky cliff. ‘The Undercliff Bar and Grill’ was painted on a wooden sign just above the door. As I exited the car, I was met with the mouthwatering smell of greasy cheeseburgers and fries.

“Best cheeseburgers in the state,” Tobias said, as he locked the car with the key fob.

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