Lost Without You

~27~

While I was getting dressed, not thinking about my dream, I got a text from Stoker. He had already spoken to Lia, he informed me, and she kindly agreed to walk with me to work. Then, in the afternoon, he would pick me up instead of Lucas.

What a joy, I thought, exiting my room. I didn't know either of the two men well, but I greatly preferred Lucas' company to his uncle's.

I walked towards the kitchen, not thinking about that awful dream, pausing to bang on Lia's door angrily on my way. She now speaks to Stoker about me behind my back, the traitor!

She joined me at the table a few minutes later, all smiles.

"Abraham called me," she announced happily, not noticing my mood.

"I'm happy that you are happy." I said around a mouthful of toast, not looking at her.

Standing up I snatched my nearly untouched breakfast off the table, and dumped it in the sink. My stomach was tied in knots, I wasn't hungry at all. I had a headache and felt nauseous, and I wasn't thinking about that dream. Not intentionally, at least. But I couldn't get the image of Jusztyna, her hand pressed to Vlad's cheek, off my mind. I would have cried if I hadn't cried so much lately that I didn't seem to have any more tears left to shed.

"Samara what's wrong with you?" Lia asked cautiously, finally noticing my temper.

"Nothing. A bad dream that's all." I mumbled, walking towards the door.

"Hmm... ok. But you haven't eaten anything. You must eat."

"Not today, Lia. Please." I stared at her from the door and she wisely refrained from arguing.

We left the flat as soon as we were both ready, each lost in her own thoughts.

"Don't forget, Abraham will pick you up after work and take you home. I'll join you two later." She reminded me after a long silence as we reached the book shop. "Have a nice day, Samara."

"You, too," I sighed. "Thanks Lia. I..."

"Don't you apologize." She said, embracing me. "You are lonely, moody and pregnant. If you don't have the right to mistreat your friends sometimes, who does?" She asked, making me smile.

"I promise I'll try to behave better." I said, watching her disappear into the morning crowd before entering the shop.

Somehow I managed not to think about that dream constantly as the morning stretched, and when my lunch break arrived, I was calm enough to feel hungry.

Just that I did not bring my lunch, I noticed as I rummaged through my bag. Lia, perched high on her cloud nine as she seemed to have been this morning, forgot to remind me about it. So now, if I wanted to eat, I had to go out.

Without thinking about it twice, I grabbed my wallet and donned my coat, then informed Mr. Turner that I'd have my lunch out today. A mouthful of air and some alone time was exactly what I needed, it would help me clear my thoughts and get distracted from thinking about Vlad and Jusztyna.

Hang all the vampires, their silly rules and strange stories. They only managed to freak me out, I thought as I rushed inside Paris, my skin crawling into goose flesh.

Standing in the shadows by the door I scanned the square and the part of the street I could see through its cool glass panels, misting over fast from my breath, for spooky individuals, as my heart pounded loudly. But everything looked fine, there was nothing, and no one, out of ordinary.

I bought my lunch at the counter, then walked around the busy café, a tray in my hands, to find a place to sit. There was only one booth, facing the street and thus the book shop, that seemed to be empty.