Chapter Fourteen | First Date

In mid-July, one of the Compound's celebrity residents threw a large birthday party at The Brass Lantern for their spouse. Amidst the news that the war was still escalating, it was a nice respite. Warren had enjoyed his evening tucked away in one of the corner booths, preferring to observe the action rather than participate.

In comparison, Karou had been pulled into the throng and found that dancing wasn't her forte. Alas, Juniper and Kenichi encouraged her to try it. Waddling awkwardly around the makeshift dance floor had become fun once she'd drank away her inhibitions. Karou wasn't alone—the pub's brewery vats were becoming considerably shallower now that the patrons had started to consume an irresponsible amount of alcohol. 

By the time the celebrations died down, Karou had concluded that she wasn't a fan of high heels or wine. So, wandering barefoot back through the woods towards the Compound's main building, Karou carried her shoes to give her sore feet a breather. The wine's afterglow left a merry flush in her cheeks, feeling docile and giddy. At her side, her friends meandered here and there over the path, chatting and laughing into the night. Warren kept his distance but had an ever-watchful eye. Karou had become his favourite moving picture; he was happy to exist in her periphery, so as not to interfere and in awe of how easy Karou made interacting with her peers look. Sure, you don't fit in. He thought to himself. To his mind, she had plenty of friends, more than him, although that feat wasn't hard to achieve. Little did Karou know, but her mere presence in his life allowed him to glimpse what he dreamed his life had looked like—young, freed from fear, in company, smiling and happy, and Mortal. 

Eventually, they all parted ways and wandered off in the direction of their living quarters. Left alone, Karou looked over her shoulder to find her unit-mate lagging. With his jacket hung over his forearm and his hands tucked away into the pockets of his slacks, he'd foregone a tie and left the top few buttons of his shirt undone; he ambled right up to her. Standing before the front door of their home, Karou's smile hadn't faded for some time. She looked quite sweet with her toes turned inward to meet each other and her shoes hanging from clasped hands before the skirt of her dress. The hairstyle she'd attempted had begun to fall out, and dark strands fell in messy waves down around her freckled face. For some time, she'd been thinking how fortunate she was to be returning to a safe home after a fun evening out. In the past, fun evenings out had been a luxury only her mom enjoyed, while she stayed at home alone, fearing a beating whenever she returned drunk. Now, there was no such fear, and it was all thanks to the man standing in front of her; for that, she couldn't stop smiling at him. "Did you enjoy the party?"

Warren was busy pulling a set of keys from his pocket when he replied, "Yes. You look like you did, too," He unlocked the door and held it open for her. As the unit's lights flickered on, Karou abandoned her shoes; Warren rolled his eyes. When he removed his boots, he took it upon himself to put her shoes away because she wasn't going to.

"Mhmm yeah, it was fun. I haven't been to many parties." Karou replied from the kitchen, where she'd opened the fridge, searching for a non-alcoholic refreshment. "I don't think I like wine that much, though." 

"That didn't seem to put you off drinking it."

"Well, I wanted to have fun, an' I thought it might help," Karou said, having come to lean on the counter adjacent to him. "You kept to yourself. Maybe you didn't drink enough to enjoy yourself?" She teased.

"I drank quite a bit more than I do most nights, actually. You don't have to worry whether or not I enjoyed myself. I watched you having a good time with your friends... I guess you could say I lived through you."

"They find it creepy that you watch me, y'know?"

"Do you?... Find it creepy, I mean?" He cocked his brow, and she shook her head, smirking impishly, subconsciously flirty. The dry, fruity scent coming off of her was enough to know, but her body language indicated she was tipsy. With her judgement as clouded as the lemonade she was sipping, Warren aired on the side of caution.

"No, and I don't care what they think either. I don't think June will be my friend for much longer, anyway." Karou shrugged, causing her cardigan to fall from her left shoulder and down her arm.

"Why's that?" He asked distractedly.

"I confronted her about Richard, and I don't think she liked it. Now she's having trouble with Kenichi; I think she thinks I told him about her unfaithfulness. I didn't, but I think she thinks I did…" Karou explained wordily while climbing onto one of the bar stools. Once seated, she swung her legs; they were comically too short to reach the foot bar. "Isn't one man enough? Apparently not…"

"I'd say you're a little jealous." He chuckled, 

"Am not... but she talks about relationship stuff, and I can't relate, that's all. Like, tonight, she kept going on about kissing, and I stood there just nodding along like an idiot. How the hell do I know what she means when she's talking about 'that thing' he does with his tongue? I've never kissed anybody."

"I don't think you'd have told me that if you weren't more than a little tipsy." Warren had no idea what to do with that information, but he'd expected that that had been the case even if he'd hoped he was wrong. If she'd been kissed before, the times he had caught himself staring at her lips when she mouthed the words to a movie didn't seem so perverse. Alas, he was as morally questionable as he feared. He cleared his throat, faking nonchalance. "You're not missing that much."

"Ha! That's a Big. Fat. Lie. If kissing wasn't nice, people wouldn't do it all the time. I've seen Ellis kiss you, remember?" The little flutter of laughter that danced from her throat made Warren want to smile, but what she said tightened it on his lips.

"Yes. I don't need reminding. Thank you."

"I bet you've kissed dozens of people," Karou said with confidence as she shifted from the barstool to sit atop the counter instead, closer than she was before. She wasn't invading his personal space yet, but Warren was wary that she was edging nearer.

"Hmm, probably. More than I care to remember. There are quite a few years of my time as a fledgeling that I've chosen to forget. My questionable encounters being one of the main reasons for that."

"Party animal, were you?" Karou laughed, wiggling her brows.

"More animal than party."

"Yeah, I can't imagine you being the life of the party, to be honest." Karou shrugged and was quickly onto the next thing. "Y'know, I think Kenichi would kiss me if I asked him."

With that statement, Karou commanded Warren's complete attention. He was shocked but knew she had the capacity to be alarmingly bold at times. "You're going to ask him to kiss you? You want to know what it's like so bad that you're going to ask Kenichi to kiss you?"

"It'll probably never happen if I don't make it happen, right? I'll be twenty this year. Besides, he thinks I'm cute; he's told me as much."

"And just because he thinks you're cute, you think it's a good idea to ask him to kiss you? What if he has more than kissing in mind? C'mon, Karou, you're not in elementary school. Surely you know that's not a solid idea?"

"I'll let him take me on a date first; I'm not gonna be that easy. You're not giving me any better ideas." Bumping her shoulder into his, she grinned. "Unless you're jealous that I'm gonna ask him and not you!?"

Warren said nothing and just rolled his eyes before grabbing her by the waist to lift her down from the breakfast bar. He planted her back on the ground, spun her around and herded her in the direction of their bedrooms. "I think it's time for bed."

Standing in her bedroom's doorway, she watched Warren turn to leave. "So, are you gonna?"

"Not while you're intoxicated, Karou. Go. To. Bed."

He didn't say no; was the first thought that flashed through her mind and it didn't leave her all night. She woke up the next morning with it still floating around in the forefront of her thoughts. Luckily, she hadn't drunk quite enough to have a nasty hangover, but her head felt a little heavy. Telling herself to remain calm, she exited her bedroom to find Warren nowhere in sight. She figured he must've gotten up at his usual early time and packed himself off to work, probably having forgotten all about what he said to her the night before. He'd probably thrown away the comment, hoping that she would forget it in her tipsy state, but she hadn't.

As she went about her business, it would pop into her head out of nowhere throughout the entire day. Kissing Warren seemed more palatable than Kenichi—he was, afterall, Juniper's on/off boyfriend. Once he'd finished work, maybe she'd remind him of his comment to gauge his reaction. Or maybe after he'd relaxed and watched some TV with her? Or perhaps once he'd had at least two glasses of liquor, was a better time? She had to be careful because she didn't want to ambush him, that way, he was likely to brush her off. 

That was how she found herself curled up in 'her' corner of the couch, watching a movie that she hadn't been paying attention to since the titles rolled. She just stared at the flashes of colour that came over the screen while her mind raced through how she'd approach the only thing on her mind; the question. Out of the corner of one blue eye, she could see Warren looking her way. He'd been watching her for a while; little did she know, but that wasn't unusual behaviour for him. With his third glass of scotch resting on his thigh and his legs crossed lazily, ankle to knee, she thought now was probably the time. "Warren?" She started, her eyes never leaving the television screen and sensing that Warren's focus hadn't shifted either.

"Yes, Karou?" He replied calmly.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"I wondered what was keeping your mind so occupied that you haven't been watching the movie you picked."

"What? Of course, I'm watching it." Karou scoffed defensively and rolled her eyes when she finally looked over at him.

He called her bluff. "Yet the blonde and the bartender have just had aggressive sex on a table, that guy's brains just got blown out, and you haven't blushed or flinched… Your mind is clearly elsewhere."

"How... How d'you know I didn't flinch or blush, huh?" Trying to blow off his comment, she faced the situation head-on and turned toward him.

"Because I've been watching you," Warren said with an amount of confidence that induced a flutter of butterflies in Karou's stomach. The charming expression that came over his face when he raised his left eyebrow was utterly deviant. Karou could barely contain her reaction, having come over all unnecessary. Still calm and collected, Warren took a generous swig from his scotch before leaning forward to place his glass on the coffee table. "What's on your mind? Did you ask Kenichi?"

So, he did remember their conversation from the evening before! Okay, now is the time to be brave.

"Say I did ask him; do you think he did it?" Karou threw the question back his way and shifted from her customary seat and closer to Warren. 

With his arms spanned down the back of the couch cushions, he shrugged his broad shoulders. "I reckon if you have asked him, he hasn't said no. But I don't think he's done it yet, persé. You're not miserable enough for him to have refused you, and you're not giddy enough for him to have accepted your request... Unless it was as underwhelming as I warned you it would be." He reasoned, always logical in his dissection of things.

"Hmph. I can't deny that your logic makes sense, but that isn't the reason why—" Karou said while on her knees and crawling down the length of the couch, closing the gap between them. For now, Warren maintained his composure and just watched her. "I didn't ask him."

"You chickened out, huh?"

"D'you remember what you said to me after I told you I was gonna ask someone to kiss me."

"That it was a bad idea?" Warren quipped.

"You didn't say no. You just said not while I was tipsy." Karou had come to sit back on her heels before Warren as he sat slumped into the corner of the couch. While she had him cornered, she had an adorably innocent look of expectation on her face, but that couldn't hide the devious glint in her eyes. He couldn't read feelings well but could undoubtedly read body language. Right now, the inexperienced Mortal girl who sat only inches away was attempting to flirt with him. It was amusingly clumsy but oddly charming and quite challenging to resist. Trying his best not to reciprocate and give her the green light, Warren fought to remain serious.

"Right, I said that, did I?" With the fleshy part of his middle knuckles pressed into his lips, he stared her down. "So, you've crawled over here to collect what you're owed off the back of that statement?"

"Uh," Lost for words, Karou hadn't calculated what to do when she inevitably didn't give in so easily. Her plan was flimsy and fell miles short of good. "You meant to say 'no' then?"

"Look, whatever you think you're missing out on, you're not. These things all happen in their own time."

"I know, I know." She huffed, deflated. "It's supposed to happen naturally; it's just that I'm tired of waiting. I figured I should be the maker of my own destiny or whatever. Y'know, manifest something into reality?"

"That's… utopian of you, but haven't you already failed by not asking him?"

"I wouldn't say I failed. In the end, I didn't have to ask him…" Karou met his gaze from under her lashes. "Kenichi asked me out on a date."

✷✷✷

Karou could hardly believe the girl looking back at her from the mirror was herself. This whole scenario didn't seem real because she'd spent the last few hours getting ready for her very first date! In the shower, she'd pampered herself and even shaved her legs. In her bedroom, she'd gathered her wavy hair into a slightly more intentional updo and neatly applied the eyeliner and mascara she'd procured from Isabel Finch. The only thing left to do was get dressed. Karou had done her research and probed her female friends on what she was expected to wear on such an occasion. The vote was out jeans and a nice top.

Seven-thirty arrived sooner than Warren had hoped, seeing as he had so much work to get done before the weekend. Pulling in a huge lung full of air, he arched his back against his office chair and combing his fingers back through his hair, he let out a great sigh. He was burnt out. "I don't think I can read any more of this jargon. It's all starting to look Greek." He groaned to himself. Peeling himself out of the leather chair wasn't enough relief, he decided. "Yes, it's time for a drink."

The clunk the door made as it fit into its jamb was a pleasing sound; it meant his working day was done. The trickle his sixteen-year-old, single malt scotch made as he poured it signalled the beginning of his wind-down. This was all disrupted by an unwelcome racket, three knocks against the unit's front door. From across the lounge, he glared at the door with such ferocious intensity it was a wonder the steel didn't smelt. "Who the fuck is that disturbing me at this hour?" When he opened the door to find the Kin standing at the threshold, Warren said nothing. It was rumoured that the Overseer was unnerving, but foolishly, most of the Compound's youths called it hype because people rarely saw him. Warren had become an urban legend within his own domain. Kenichi had had little to do with his boss, but unlike his friends, he knew that the stories were true. In reaction to Warren's silent stare, Kenichi loosened the back of his collar from his neck and stated his business. "I've come to pick up Karou… Sir?"

Warren gave a grunt and closed the door, leaving an inch for Kenichi to peep through while he called into the void of the unit, "Karou! Your date is here."

"Okay. I'm ready!" Smoothing her hands down the satin top she'd chosen to wear one last time, Karou rushed out of her room and to the front door eagerly. She beamed, "How do I look?"

Beholding a Karou, who looked all excited in anticipation of a good time, Warren showed no shared enthusiasm outwardly. He certainly wasn't going to share his thoughts.

"Right... Stupid question." Karou muttered, raising her brows and tutting.

"You're going then?" Warren asked dryly.

"Yeah... Why?" Her head tipped towards her shoulder, and Warren fought back a grin and managed to maintain indifference.

"Hmm, figures." Suddenly, Warren opened the door and revealed Karou to Kenichi. As soon as Karou was in sight, the Kin displayed an overwhelming amount of boyish charm, flashing her a Hollywood smile that earned him a giggle from the naive girl and a discreet eye roll from Warren. In truth, Kenichi was an attractive young man; his flaw was that he knew it and enjoyed compliments about his image. He was particularly fond of the attention his dark, mysterious eyes gained him.

"Wow! You look... great!"

"Thanks. So do you," Karou replied, equally predictably.

"Be back by eleven," Warren commanded, shooting the Kin a warning glare. "Don't make me come looking for you."

Honestly, Karou had expected Warren to have shut the door on them by now. His little protective request caught her off guard, and she didn't know how to respond other than to say, "Uh, sure."

Apparently, that was all he'd wanted to say because now he closed the front door. Through the thick metal sheet at his back, Warren's keen Vampiric ears picked up on the beginning of their conversation.

"Seriously, can't he let curfew slide for one night? I mean, you're with me. What harm could come to you when you're with me? What is he, your dad or somethin'?"

"What, no!" Karou scoffed. "He's just... looking out for me." She could hardly believe she was defending Warren, just as little as she could believe that his sentiment was protective.

"Well, maybe I'll keep you out 'til five past eleven. What d'you think he'll do then, huh?" Kenichi mocked.

"You're braver than I am, I wouldn't mess with him. He's mean and scary sometimes."

"I'm not scared of him; he's just a Sired Vampire, an' he don't have any military training or anythin'..." Kenichi spouted, full of bravado. A door opened, "I hope he doesn't do anythin' that makes you scared of him, or I'll—"

Warren didn't hear any more of the conversation, but what he had heard made his blood boil. A loud snarl roared from the back of his throat before he simmered down and muttered bitterly, "Ha! He underestimates me. I'd steal the air from your lungs without even having to show you my fangs." Though he would have preferred to say those words to the Kin's face, he didn't want to ruin Karou's night—she'd been looking forward to it for a week. Downing his scotch on his way back to the decanter for a refill, Warren hissed another insult to get his venomous rage out of his system. "Pathetic excuse for Demon spawn; he's nothing but a declawed fuckin' house cat."