In one of the rooms in the inn, occupied by the pureblooded vampire and the mermaid, the burning woods softly crackled in the fireplace against the muffled sound of the snowstorm that tried to push against the walls of the buildings and its windows in the town.
The inn's servant had bought the hot water and poured it into their room's bathtub. Extra buckets of hot water were placed next to the bath, but it was quickly losing its heat because of the weather. The servant then brought the food to their room.
Vincent picked up the glass of blood, drinking it, but his darkened eyes didn't return to their usual coppery-red eyes.
Mr. Briggs arrived in front of their door with Eve's trunk and bag. The coachman had also received the key to his room after the inn's owner had screamed after being followed by him and had passed out.
"Keep it there," Vincent pointed next to the cupboard, and the coachman bowed, before stepping inside.
In the meantime, Eve grabbed the food plate and started eating it. Sensing Vincent's gaze, she looked up to meet his eyes and asked him, "Would you like to have some?" At her question, Vincent ran his tongue over his teeth and opened his mouth.
Eve turned flustered and pushed the plate towards him.
"Oh, I thought you were offering to feed me," Vincent feigned innocence. Eve coughed, while Mr. Briggs carried his ever blank expression as if he wasn't there, before he left the room. He then remarked, "So cute."
Finishing his drink, he locked the room door and said, "You should go first before the water turns cold."
Eve, who was still eating, shook her head and said, "You can go first." Compared to him, she was the one with dry clothes, while he had been in his wet clothes.
"Or we could both go in together," Vincent suggested with a straight face, yet at the same time, something dark lurking in his eyes that turned her throat dry.
"T--That, I think w--we..." Eve wasn't ready for such quick progress, as her heart could barely contain its anxious nervousness.
Instead of stepping away from her, Vincent gently caught hold of her chin and stared into her blue eyes. He said to her, "Relax, I was joking."
His joke had left her heart palpitating and had put thoughts in her mind that were nowhere decent. Oh God, Eve prayed.
Vincent remarked, "Every time I touch you, your heart beats get louder and sweeter than a bird song in the morning. Clear and distinct from others. Makes me wonder what other sounds I can evoke from you."
His words only made Eve's heart skip another beat, while she stared into his coppery-red eyes. With them alone in the room, and with the snowstorm outside, the night was nothing less than the time when Vincent had arrived at the front of her house door in Meadow. The only difference was that at that time, there were uncertainties and now there was sureness that created butterflies in her stomach.
When his fingers caressed her cheek, Eve couldn't help but close her eyes, basking in the sweetness that she didn't believe Vincent could possess.
Vincent pulled his hand away from her. He then started to unbutton his shirt and placed it on the chair.
Eve opened her eyes, and brought the carrot to her mouth, while watching Vincent's bare upper body. His trousers hung low on his waist, and soon he padded on the wooden floor, making his way to the other side of the wooden divider.
The wooden divider had two foldings, behind which sat the bathtub. And though until now Eve's thoughts had been pure, her eyes didn't hesitate to follow the pureblooded vampire she had harboured feelings for.
Through the gaps in the wooden divider, Eve saw Vincent standing next to the bathtub, and his trousers loosened before pooling around his feet. Though the view wasn't clear, she watched his silhouette step into the bathtub, and when he sat, the water softly made a splashing sound.
Going back to her food, Eve quietly ate and once she was done, she opened her trunk. Pulling out two towels from it, she carefully made her way towards the wooden divider, where Vincent was. She placed one of them on the stand next to the bathtub, and saw him leaning back and his head thrown backwards. He had stretched his hands on the edge of the bathtub on either side.
Vincent's eyes moved to the corner to look at Eve, with drops of water dripping down the ends of his silver hair.
"I brought a towel for you..." Eve informed him, a little nervous at the seriousness his eyes held.
Vincent questioned her, "When was the last time you took a bath in the salts?"
"Last night," Eve replied. She wanted to ensure that she wouldn't need it anytime soon as they were travelling.
The longer they stared at each other in the presence of the dim light that was present on this side of the room, Eve felt the strings of her heart pull towards him. Noticing the shadow under his eyes, Eve asked him, "I didn't know vampires get dark circles from lack of sleep."
"Not often, but a vampire gets it when they haven't consumed enough blood on time for some time," Vincent responded to her words.
Eve's eyebrows furrowed, "How long has it been... since you drank blood?"
"I drank some on my way when I was looking for you. You don't have to feel guilty about it," but it wasn't enough to quench his thirst. The gap of not having blood since the night he had paid a visit to her in Meadow and then in Berkshire after finding her, had turned his thirst into a black hole, and the traces still lurked on his face and in his eyes. "I am the one responsible for it. But if you still feel guilty," he raised his hand, stretching it towards her with a teasing smile on his lips.
Vincent dropped his hand, and said, "If you are still hungry, pull the rope bell and tell the servant you are hungry."
Eve pursed her lips before standing up from where she had been squatting until now, while the teasing smile on Vincent's lips disappeared and he curiously watched her. He noticed her untie the ribbon of her hair, which fell on her shoulders and back. She then parted her hair into two portions and pushed it in front of her shoulders.
With their eyes still on each other, Vincent's eyes brightened, realising what she was doing. He could tell she was nervous by the sounds of her heartbeat, but she kept a brave face.
"What are you doing?" Vincent's eyes narrowed at her, while his eyes brightened with a look of predator.
"Unbuttoning my dress," Eve breathed the words, and she noticed Vincent clench his jaw when her hands moved to her back and somewhere it increased the butterflies in her stomach. She unbuttoned the hooks.
"Are you teasing me, my little girl? If you are, it won't end well," a sly smile appeared on Vincent's lips.
"I would never dare to do such a thing," Eve replied, her words more confident than her little heart. She then pushed the dress downwards, revealing the inner dress which was sleeveless, off-white and reached below her knees. She then placed one of her feet inside the bathtub and then the other. Taking support by holding the edge of the bathtub, she sat down with her back facing him. Soon her inner dress turned wet.
Vincent's arms wrapped around her waist, and she felt him gently pull her towards him, such that her back now touched his chest, and she blushed when something poked her bottom. He whispered to her, "You don't fail to surprise me. I thought you didn't want to join me in the bath."
"I thought this would be okay," Eve answered, surrounded by warm water.
"It is more than okay," said Vincent, resting his chin on her shoulder.
Vincent was more than happy to have Eve in his arms, where she had willingly come to join him, knowing it wasn't easy for her to do something so forward. He continued to hold her in silence, and she let him, moving her toes.
Vincent never knew that he would one day hold something so precious in his arms, and he caught hold of one of her hands, intertwining their fingers under the water.
Eve asked him, "Did you take a vacation from the Council's duties?" She noticed her off-white inner dress had turned slightly transparent, but she couldn't see the shape of her legs because of the scarce light.
"Mm, I have already sent a note to Clayton about me visiting Berkshire for important work. Patton will handle the rest until I return," Vincent replied, and when he felt her shiver against him, he asked, "Is the water cold?"
"No," Eve replied, and the only reason she had shivered was because he had mindlessly squeezed her hand whilst he played with it. "I am okay," and asked, "You?" She turned to look at him.
Vincent pressed his lips against her temple, "Never been better."
