Page 92 of Even Vampires Bleed
“Probably the hob, but they’re both easy once you get used to it,” Léandre tells me.
Okay, so let’s see how long we have, then. Wait, no, Léandre told me he’s only eaten pasta and rice since I passed out. I can’t do the easiest of my two ideas—bolognese.
“How hungry are you?” I ask him.
“I can wait if it’s going to take some time. I need a shower, anyway,” he answers.
“Perfect,” I tell him and gather the potatoes and a carrot I saw in the dry food bag.
I expect him to run away to the shower, but instead, he’s looking at me like I’m an enigma.
Is it because—against all odds—I’m not distant with him for once?
“Can I help?” he finally asks.
“Do you want to?”
“I don’t want to only eat pasta and grilled meat if I end up being on my own again,” he answers with a shrug.
That doesn’t exactly answer my question, but I won’t be picky.
Léandre gets closer to me and opens the drawer with all the cutlery. He sorts through it and hands me a knife as he takes one for himself.
“What are you doing?” I ask him, appalled.
“Helping,” he answers cockily, as if he didn’t hear the tone I just used. “What does it look like?”
“It looks like you’re going to trickle sweat all over my food,” I deadpan. “You’re not touching anything here until you’ve taken a shower. Don’t worry, unless you’re spending half an hour under the shower, you won’t miss a thing. I have a lot of slicing and cutting to do before starting.”
“You’re sure?” he asks, and I hear a small tinge of insecurity in his voice.
My Léandre didn’t mind me taking things in my hands. This one… this one looks like he wants to do everything by himself, and it has the effect of a cold shower.
What am I doing?
Cozying to this new version of Léandre? Comparing them?
This isn’t healthy.
And this isn’t going to help.
Half lost in my thoughts, I plaster an amused smile on my lips and shoo Léandre to the shower.
It’s time to make ahachis Parmentier.
46
Léandre
Idon’t know what is happening to me.
I literally didn’t want to go.
I know I’m filthy and that I need to shower, but all I could think about was to get closer and… What? Honestly, anything.
I’ve been doing my best since we arrived. But it turned out lonely with her sleeping her wound away.
I can’t be upset. She needed it, and nothing would have woken her up.
