THE MOMENT
And, there he was again. He wasn't even trying to hide that he was a vampire, though, it was easy to see why judging by his physique. He was at least 8 feet tall and shoulders twice as broad as Emma herself was. He was also ghostly pale with very obvious fangs. Emma noticed him at the bank earlier in the day, it was hard not to.
She also saw him sometime later around mid-afternoon at the convenience store. She had doubts seeing him walking through brilliant sunlight without a hint of it affecting him. She didn't notice it right away, she was quite taken with his handsomeness; but, it did raise questions when he walked out into the day.
Twice was chance, and thrice was coincidence. The third time she spotted the mountainous vampire he was in the shopping mall behind her. Emma had walked into the mall with a specific goal; but, halfway to the store, she realized she forgot her wallet in the car. When she turned back, there he was yet again. Simultaneously following and ignoring her, as if he had no idea she existed. Emma didn't hesitate to walk right by him, though she kept looking back. He didn't look back, but she wasn't surprised. As a vampire, he probably had extra senses that helped him stalk her. But, that was the moment she realized she'd been targeted.
Emma hesitated once she reached her car. Maybe she could come back another day. She could just go home and he wasn't invited. But, it was the last day for the sale and she was already there. She gathered her courage and returned to the mall with her head on a loose swivel looking this way and that for any sign of him. She reached the lingerie store with no sign of him and she finally relaxed. Though, not enough to shop at ease.
She picked out the few necessary essentials she wanted to restock while they were on sale, but a cute pajama set caught her eyes. It was Fall already, and the pajamas were appropriately Halloween-themed with a smattering of cute bats, stars, and crescent moons. She picked out her size and dashed into the closest dressing room to try it on. She was happy with the fit, and once she was back in her normal clothes she gathered her things and opened the dressing room door.
Thrice was coincidence and a fourth time was concerning. He was standing some distance away pretending to ignore her some more; but, Emma wasn't going to live in fear. She marched straight for him.
"Okay, what's true and what's bullshit?" she asked. He played it cool, and let the question hang for a moment before he turned and looked down at her; she was at least three feet shorter than him.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"Look, cut the crap, I know you're a vampire, and you've been stalking me for whatever reason. I just want to know what's real and what's not. Am I dealing with Bram Stoker or Stephanie Meyer here?" Emma's heart was pounding as she called him out. She didn't actually have a plan to fight, no matter which one he was. However, all she wanted to do was put him on the spot and show she wasn't afraid. It was the biggest reason; she wanted to let him know he didn't scare her. She could see him as a normal person, maybe even as a date. He smiled and gave a gentle chuckle.
"I don't know anything about stalking, but I am a vampire," he nodded. "As for your question, neither," he shrugged with a grin. She wasn't prepared for that revelation; but, it did keep the conversation going.
"What do you mean, 'neither'?" she asked. She also wanted to push back on his claim of not stalking her; but, first, she wanted to let him think she wasn't going to mention it again.
"They're authors, right?" he asked. "Writers, they make things up. Just because they happened to vaguely describe vampires, and just because vampires exist, doesn't mean the two are related. Vampires were around before any stories about them existed," he said.
"Is that why you can walk around in sunlight?" she asked. She was getting back to the whole stalking thing.
"Nah, that's a personal bonus; sunlight will kill most vampires," he said.
"Are you curious where I saw you walking in sunlight?" she asked with a sly grin. He shrugged.
"The sun's still out. Aren't you just assuming I walked into the mall through the sunlight like everyone else?"
"No!" she shook her head. "I saw you at the convenience store earlier today," she said. "And, at the bank before that, and at the mall after that." He'd had a resting smile during their conversation; but, it disappeared as soon as she revealed that.
"Did you follow me into this store?" he asked. "Are you stalking me?"
"NO! YOU'RE STALKING ME!" she said.
"I'm not," he shrugged and shook his head.
"I saw you THREE times today, before this fourth encounter. This encounter in a women's lingerie store, I might add!" Emma said. "What are you doing here, if you're not stalking me?"
"Can I help you?" a woman's voice spoke up from behind Emma.
"No, thank you," Emma shook her head. "I'm just having a chat with this stalker that's been following me around all day." She replied without turning to address the newcomer. She was trying to get him to admit what he'd done and wasn't ready to check out yet.
"I think you might be confused," the woman spoke up again. Emma turned, and she was surprised to see a towering woman almost as tall as the vampire; and, she wasn't an employee.
"From our perspective, you've been stalking my husband all day," she said as she also looked down at Emma. "Every time I noticed you your eyes were focused on him."
"Husband?" Emma asked. She felt as small as she looked compared to them.
"Yes," the woman nodded with a smirk. "My husband the vampire."