Augie was pretty nice. He was friendly, charming, non-committal…

Distracted.

Getting to enjoy Le Poulet Noir in the restaurant was almost as good as the takeout Kieran had treated Jack to. He ignored the guilt that came with thinking about his ex in favor of focusing on his discomfort of being surrounded by low conversation in the middle of a crowded and upscale restaurant. He only had himself to blame for his current situation.

Augie had yet to notice, but that had to do with the fact that his attention was seemingly elsewhere. His glances easily shifted over the other tables and to the front of the restaurant, leaving Jack with an off-putting privacy.

Whether Augie was expecting someone or paranoid about being a vampire out in public, Jack couldn't be sure. He wanted to feel insulted, but his own paranoia and anxiety were taking up too much of his mental power.

"So you said you're here to visit your, uh, sponsor? Is that what you guys call it?" Jack asked.

"Hm? Oh! Yes, when in public, we'll use any variety of euphemisms to refer to our extended relations," Augie happily replied.

"And have you sponsored any people?"

"Yes." His reply was hesitant, and he sighed before continuing. "A few years ago. She… It did not end well."

"Did you do it wrong? Sorry, I don't know how this works," Jack said, dropping his eyes to his plate. And did he really want to know? He didn't need to know the ins and outs of how vampires infected someone and essentially bred.

"The only thing that can go wrong is choosing the wrong person." Augie frowned at his wine glass. "Religion doesn't mix well with the prospect of unending life," he quietly added.

"Sorry."

"She didn't strike me as the type, but, upon further reflection, I suppose there were signs past all the leather."

"Leather." Jack's imagination drew up a biker chick with large cross earrings. There was also a vague memory of leather pants and his absolute refusal to ever wear them. He did his best to breathe slowly and distracted himself with the rest of his wine.

"I met her at a dungeon," Augie clarified, his voice dropping to a whisper just before their waiter dropped by to refill drinks.

"Uh… Oh. Okay." The waiter was a good ten feet away before Jack had the courage to keep up the conversation. "That kinda place."

"I do believe you're familiar with the symptoms associated with my condition?" Augie's smile was soft and teasing.

"Yeah. You said. Kinksters. Hiding in plain sight or something." The burning sensation of a bright blush crept across Jack's cheeks and up his ears. He was thankful for the dim lighting, but the thought that everyone could see him stabbed at his gut. He resisted the urge to slouch further into his seat and bury his head in his hands.

Augie's smile widened as his eyes swept over the other tables. His attention settled back on Jack. "Finding partners who like to roleplay and think vampires are sexy also helps."

"I'm not into that," Jack hissed, leaning forward.

Augie laughed and waved away Jack's concern. "I know, darlin'. You're safe from me."

"Sure." Jack wanted to believe Augie, but, in his experience, vampires were liars.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

He was an idiot for giving yet another one a chance. He was lonely enough to enjoy Augie's company and light attention. There was something about being near a warm body and only having to commit to the conversation in short bursts. He could have done without the conversation drifting off into uncomfortable areas, but he had a bad habit of saying the wrong things.

He could see himself being friends with Augie, but his imagination couldn't scrounge up anything that came close to the fantasies he had about Kieran. He sighed into his drink. Temporary was a good thing, he reminded himself.

---

The small houses lining the street weren't as inviting as Jack had been hoping. Tara's home sat nestled between a pair of houses that had been converted into a record store and a clothing boutique. It was his sanctuary after his date, but as Augie's white rental sedan pulled up in front of the house, all he could see was an impending interrogation. He never thought pastel blue could be considered a dark omen, but the sinister shadow of the old maple tree in the front yard was proving him wrong.

"This is a nice location," Augie commented as he looked up and down the street.

"Yeah, my roommate picked it for the view." He hoped he wasn't bringing danger to Tara's doorstep, but there was no way in hell he was going to bring Augie, or any other vampire, anywhere near his apartment anytime soon.

Augie leaned in, and Jack resisted the urge to cringe away. He missed Kieran's careful advances. He missed being with someone who had an idea of how fucked up he was. Pretending to be a normal person capable of being in a normal relationship was taking every ounce of energy he had.

Soft lips pressed against his own, thankfully not aiming for anything deeper. The kiss was so light and gentle, Jack would have considered it sweet if it didn't feel obligatory.

Augie pulled away and smiled. "How about brunch on Sunday?"

Sunday. That gave Jack a whole day to himself to recover. "Yeah, I'll meet you… Somewhere."

"I had Lola's in mind."

Jack had heard good things about their screwdrivers and mimosas. One little drink in the late morning wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Yeah, that sounds nice. Um… Ten? Does that work?"

Augie briefly looked away, and his grin grew brighter. "That will be perfect. Goodnight, Kyle."

Jack's stomach lurched at the fake name. "Yeah, g'nite," he said with a forced smile as he let himself out.

He did it. He survived a real date. Surprisingly, he had a decent time. He should feel proud of himself, not like he just escaped. He'd barely made it over the threshold before Tara spoke up.

"So? How'd it go? You have fun? You finally gonna tell me Mystery Man's name?" Tara asked from where she stood by the window, watching Augie's departure.

"Good enough? His name's Augie."

She turned to face him with a smirking sneer. "Augie? Seriously?"

"I think it's short for August?" The name pinged a memory, but he couldn't place it.

"I don't trust people named after seasons or months, and neither should you," Tara said as she moved to sprawl on the couch.

Jack's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I picked bad again, didn't I?"

"I didn't say that."

"You just did!"

"His name's weird."

He crossed his arms as he dropped onto the couch beside Tara, a defensive urge to snap back squirming in his chest. A lot of people had weird names. Most likely, it was a normal name back when Augie had been born. "It's probably an old family name."

"Whatever, Soup Boy," Tara said dismissively, unmuting the TV.

Jack frowned, wracking his brain for the reference. On some level, he got the joke and understood it for the loving jab it was, but he couldn't make the connection. On the tip of his tongue was a retort.

"At least I wasn't named after canvas," he said. It made no sense to him, but it felt right. It was the same way he felt when he had the urge to get something with a jackalope on it. He pulled out his phone and made a note of the thought.

He glanced through the rest of his notes. He couldn't recall making most of them.

"Speaking of new boyfriends, playing substitute is paying off," Tara said, bumping her shoulder against Jack's. "Shane is a toned and tan yoga god. He's trying to move front and center to show off, but Sara is territorial as fuck."

"Shane? And you're complaining about Augie?"

"You haven't seen his muscles. And the way he moves. You just know he's gonna be good in bed. I wonder if he's a dancer."

Did the way people move give away their history? Jack didn't think Kieran moved like a vampire or a farm boy. He needed to stop watching sheep shearing videos.

image [https://i.imgur.com/eZY0YUq.png]