Chance Encounters - 5. Ch. 5 ~ Revelations

Simon couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped his lips as he loaded the last of the dishes into the dishwasher and started the cycle. It had been just over two weeks since he had run into Richard at the mall and he still had a hard time concentrating. His mind kept going back to the passionate kisses both at the restaurant and in the car at the mall. There were even times that he berated himself for stopping Richard’s advances, but he knew that he had done the right thing. He needed to learn more about Richard before he allowed him to step over that boundary. Trying to turn his attention to something else he wiped his hands on a kitchen towel before making his way into the living room and flopping down into the corner of the couch. Not having anything else to do, Simon picked up the remote for the TV and started flipping through channels.

After flipping through the channels a couple of different times, he finally decided that there just wasn’t anything that he was really in the mood to watch and shut the TV off. Deciding that maybe he should just try to read a little bit he grabbed the book he’d been reading off the coffee table and flipped it open to the bookmark nestled inside. After a few minutes he realized that his mind was still on Richard and that he’d just read the same passage about three times but still had no idea exactly what it said. With a sigh of disgust at himself for not being able to get Richard out of his mind, Simon tossed the book back on the table and climbed to his feet.

He had nearly decided to just go to bed when he heard what sounded like a knock on the door. A quick glance at the clock told him it was almost ten and he knew he wasn’t expecting anybody. Besides, nobody should be out and about at ten o’clock at night. Curious, he made his way over to the door and glanced through the peephole, his face a mask of surprise when he saw Richard standing on the other side. Simon’s nerves grabbed hold of him and he ran his fingers through his disheveled hair in an attempt to tame it before opening the door. God, that man was just as hunky as he remembered him.

“Hey Richard,” Simon started, hoping his voice didn’t sound as nervous as he felt. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” Richard answered as he glanced nervously around him. “I had planned on just waiting until we ran into each other again, but I couldn’t wait anymore.”

“Well, come in,” Simon answered, stepping back from the door to allow Richard to brush past him into the townhouse. Simon couldn’t help his curiosity, for someone who usually appeared so together, Richard seemed rather nervous. Simon led the way into the townhouse and offered Richard a seat on the couch. “Can I get you something to drink?” Simon asked once Richard was settled.

“No thanks,” Richard answered, “I don’t think I’ll be here that long.”

“Okay,” Simon responded wonderingly. “You said you wanted to talk to me about something?” Simon asked as he took a seat in the chair opposite the couch.

“You can sit here,” Richard told him, indicating the seat next to him on the couch. He felt fairly sure that this would be the last chance he would have to enjoy Simon’s closeness. Despite his anxiety he couldn’t help but smile as Simon got up from the chair and came to sit next to him, their knees touching as they angled towards each other.

“So, what did you need to talk to me about?” Simon asked as he focused all his attention on Richard’s face.

Richard tried to figure out the best way to start but lost his train of thought when his gaze landed on Simon’s lips. He fought against the temptation to press his lips to them before finally deciding that he had nothing to lose. Depending on how Simon reacted to his admission, this might be his last chance to savor Simon’s taste. Richard’s hand reached out and grasped the back of Simon’s neck to pull him close before dipping his head and capturing Simon’s lips with his own. The kiss only lasted a matter of moments before Richard’s conscience got the better of him and he pulled back. He knew that before things went any further, he needed to tell Simon exactly who he’d be getting involved with.

“Shit,” Richard mumbled as he climbed to his feet and started pacing. He ran his fingers through his hair in agitation as he gazed at Simon who sat looking thunderstruck on the couch. “This is harder than I thought it would be. All I want to do right now is sit there and kiss you senseless.”

“So why don’t you?” Simon answered, having slightly regained his composure.

“Because it wouldn’t be right,” Richard answered. “There are some things about me you should know. I’m not exactly who you think I am.”

“What do you mean you’re not who I think you are? You’re the guy who kept the guys at the club from raping me. You’re the guy who seems to pop up when I least expect it. From what I’ve seen, you can be gentle or passionate, depending on your mood. I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

“I might be those things, but that’s not all of who I am. I’m not exactly human,” Richard whispered and then forced himself to meet Simon’s confused gaze.

“What exactly do you mean you’re not exactly human?” Simon asked. “What else could you be except human?”

“I’m a werevamp Simon,” Richard told him, watching intently for his reaction. What he got wasn’t what he was expecting. Instead of recoiling in fear, Simon began to laugh uncontrollably.

“Oh, that’s funny Richard. A werevamp, whatever. What exactly is a werevamp anyways? A vampire that is only a vampire during the full moon?”

“I’m not kidding. As for what a werevamp is, it’s a cross between a werewolf and a vampire.”

“Quit kidding around Richard,” Simon said, once again serious. Richard’s facial expression was so serious that Simon was beginning to get uneasy.

“I guess the only way I’m going to get you to believe me is to show you,” Richard answered sadly. He hadn’t wanted to go this far, but Simon obviously didn’t believe in the supernatural. He rationalized that he wouldn’t have to change completely, just enough that Simon could have no doubt that he told the truth. He decided that changing his hands into paws and allowing his fangs to show would be enough. Human hands turning into paws wasn’t something that could later be said to be nothing more than a parlor trick. “No matter what you see, I promise that you’re safe, I’d never hurt you,” Richard told him before holding his hands out in front of him, palm facing towards the ceiling.

Simon watched in a mixture of fascination and fear as Richards hands quickly became covered in sleek black fur. The nails lengthened and sharpened as the hand reformed into the shape and likeness of a wolf’s paw. Simon glanced up from the paws to Richard’s face and noticed that he now had half inch fangs where his canines had once been. The fear was coiling inside of him as his gaze moved up to meet Richard’s eyes. Simon was shocked to see the pain that was revealed in that gaze, but despite Richard’s promise that he wouldn’t hurt him, Simon was afraid. It wasn’t everyday that you found out that the guy you were interested in wasn’t human. Simon watched as the paws reverted back to hands and the canines shortened back up. When Richard took a step towards where he still sat on the couch, Simon scrambled to his feet and moved behind the couch. Richard had said he wouldn’t hurt him, but having the piece of furniture between them made him feel a slight measure of safety.

“No, it can’t be,” Simon muttered in shock as he shook his head as if to clear it. “Werewolves and vampires don’t exist. Besides, if you were a vampire you couldn’t be out during the day.” Simon struggled to make sense of what he had seen. It just wasn’t possible. When Richard again tried to step towards him, Simon held out his hand to stop him, “Please Richard, just stay over there.”

“Sit down Simon, you look like you’re about ready to pass out,” Richard told him sadly. He hated seeing the fear in Simon’s eyes, but knew that there was nothing he could do to erase it. He could control minds to a slight degree, but he knew that it would be wrong of him to even attempt to make Simon forget what had happened. “What I told you is the truth. As far as the daylight thing, you’re right. If I was full vampire I wouldn’t be able to go out during the day. I’m not entirely sure, but I’m guessing that it’s the werewolf part of me that allows me to be in the sunlight. It’s almost like I got the best of both species.”

“So you drink blood,” Simon stated as though in a daze. He dragged his gaze from Richard’s but then a thought occurred to him and he quickly looked in Richard’s eyes as he asked the question that had just occurred to him. “Have you ever drank my blood?”

“No, I don’t drink blood. I eat a lot of raw meat, but I don’t have to drink blood to survive. I've only met one other like me and he died before I could get very many answers to my questions.”

“So what do you know about what you are?”

“I’ve figured out that I don’t need to drink blood to survive, my hearing is much more acute than when I was human. My eyes are overly sensitive to the light and can get burned by the sun, so I have to wear sunglasses when I’m out during the day. My sense of smell is even more acute than my hearing. I also found out that I have a longer life span than the typical human.”

“What do you mean life span? How old are you?” Simon asked. From his appearance, Simon would guess that Richard was in his late twenties, maybe early thirties.

“I’m close to seventy years old,” Richard answered. He was surprised that Simon was taking everything better than he had expected. He had fully expected to be immediately thrown out of Simon’s house, but instead, it seemed as though Simon was doing his best to understand something that even Richard himself didn’t completely understand.

“So what do you expect from me?” Simon asked.

“I don’t really expect anything from you,” Richard answered, his voice tinged with sadness. “You’re the only person I’ve ever admitted the truth to. I just needed to be honest with you.”

“I honestly don’t know,” Simon whispered. He was still scared but Richard hadn’t moved since Simon had stopped him so he felt a little safer. “It’s a lot to take in. I never believed that werewolves or vampires existed and now to find out that you’re not just one, but both. I just don’t know,” Simon repeated. “How did you get this way?”

“I’ll tell you all of that if and when you decide that you can handle it. It’s up to you Simon. If you decide that you can’t accept what I am, then I’ll have no choice but to accept that. I won’t like it, but I’ll respect your decision.”

“I think I need some time to think about all of this,” Simon told him.

“I understand,” Richard answered, relieved that Simon wasn’t rejecting him outright. “You’ll know where to find me when you’ve come to a decision.”

“How?” Simon asked.

“If and when the time comes, you’ll know,” Richard answered, forcing a small smile before turning and heading towards the door. He had just opened it and was ready to step out when he heard Simon’s voice from behind him.

“Richard, can I ask you one more question?” Simon asked.

“You can ask me anything,” Richard answered as he turned to face Simon. He was surprised that Simon was standing within arm’s reach of him. He wanted so badly to reach out and pull Simon to him, but just the fact that Simon would come that close to him showed a trust that he didn’t want to even chance destroying.

“Why did you decide to tell me?” Simon asked. He watched as Richard turned back to the door and thought that he wasn’t going to answer Simon’s question. Right before he walked out he answered in a voice so quiet that Simon barely heard him.

“Because you’re my mate,” Richard said before taking that final step and shutting the door behind him.