19. Nicholas

Nicholas Pov

It was the same perfume she was wearing the other day. He couldn't see her, but he could smell her all over the room. Her sweet smell was alluring, drawing him closer and the mystery about her made him yearn for her. He wanted to know why he felt so connected to this stranger.

He walked into the main hall, walking on the tiny pathway between shelves. His right hand stretched forward as he followed the direction of the heat.

Suddenly he got to the open space area, and he felt like he was walking toward a furnace.

"There she is."

He walked with his walking aide a bit closer, his head directly towards the most intense part of the room.

"Is everything alright?" He asked. This time, he was confident she was right there.

"You...?" Jessica responded, making him chuckle. He walked closer and excused himself to sit opposite her, after which he apologized for shoving her off the other day.

"You are reading the cursed one. The vampire who was once human, but she became a vampire and didn't know how."

"How did you know?"

Her question made him chuckle.

"I can smell Estelle's perfume on the book. I had the book with me when we visited the mall, and she had sprayed the perfume on it before buying different perfumes." He giggled.

"I see. About the book." Jessica muted for a while. "How did she become a vampire?" Jessica was curious about the story.

"Till the end of the book, it was never revealed. I'm guessing the author doesn't know either. Or doesn't want her readers to criticize her work. Readers suspect her friend turned her into a vampire, but no one knows." Nicholas smiled.

"The author doesn't know. If she knows, she must have written about it. That means the author knows this person before she became the cursed one." Jessica muttered.

"Helen," She mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Nicholas wondered who Helen was.

"I'm sorry, I was just deep in thoughts.

"I want to ask for a favor."

"What might that be?"

"Can I touch you?" Nicholas asked. He prayed for her to agree, and just like he wished, she accepted.

As they both placed their hands on the table, Nicholas stretched her hand forward to her. Suddenly the atmosphere, as hot as a furnace, became warm and cold. When his hands touched hers, he couldn't see anything; instead, her delicate skin was as cold as ice.

"What is this?" Jessica questioned

"What is your name?" He asked, still locking hands with her.

"Jessica."

"Jessica...!" He heard someone scream the name out loud, piercing into his ears. He quickly blocked his ears with both hands, but he could still hear the echoes of her character.

"Are you okay?" He felt her hands on his cheeks, and suddenly everywhere became quiet.

Something about her felt familiar, and he was scared yet in deep pain. Suddenly he placed his hands on hers, and tears dripped from his blind eyes.

"Your name, there is something about it that I can't explain." He mumbled to her.

"I don't understand what you are saying."

He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and feigned a smile.

"I'm sorry for saying silky things. What I meant was, can we be friends?" He asked.

"Yes, we can."