“It’s okay, I completely understand.”

A group of people walked into the coffee shop talking loudly.

“Hey, where are you?” Jess asked.

“Out getting coffee.”

“With who?”

“Umm, can I call you later?”

“Wait, are you with Levi? You are, aren’t you?”

“Maybe.” I noticed Levi watching me, trying to figure out what was going on in our conversation.

Jess laughed. “Okay, good for you. Call me tomorrow.”

“I will. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

I hung up, putting my phone into my back pocket. I hadn’t bothered with a purse, stuffing my phone, ID, and a credit card in my jeans.

“Jess made it back?” Levi asked.

“Yeah, she just got home.”

“Anything else going on?” He was obviously fishing for information.

“Nope.”

Thankfully, he dropped it.

It wasn’t quite 9:30 when I finished the last of my coffee. “This was actually fun. Thanks, I needed it.”

“My pleasure. See, giving me a chance wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Hey, don’t read too much into it. We had coffee. End of story.”

“Does it have to be the end?” Levi gazed at me intently.

“What else do you have in mind?”

“Want to meet up with my friends? I bet Hailey will come if she knows you are. I think she has a girl crush on you.”

“A girl crush? What are you, like three?”

“No… it’s just funny. She talks about you almost as much as I do.”

“I think she’s pretty cool too. Definitely different from my other friends.” I let the whole talking about me a lot part slide.

“Different is good, right?”

“It can be.”

“Are you up for hanging out more?”

“Yeah, okay.” The thought of going back to my empty room made the decision easy.

We walked through the French Quarter slowly, and I tried to take it all in. The music, the crowds, and the atmosphere still felt surreal. Music spilled out of the endless bars and clubs.

“Wow, are those people seriously dressed up as vampires?” I asked, looking in at a dark bar on the corner. Inside I watched a man and woman holding up a chalice and smiling with fangs showing.

Levi laughed. “If you think those people are weird, you’d be freaked out by the real thing.”

“The real thing? Very funny.”

“What, you don’t think vampires are real?”

“No, and I’m glad they aren’t.”

“Why? Do they scare you?” Levi stopped walking, and turned me to look at him.

“Does the thought of blood sucking monsters scare me? Hell yes. Who wouldn’t be scared of that? ”

He laughed again even louder. “Trust me sweetheart, in New Orleans vampires are the least of your worries.”

“What do you mean?” Something about the glint in his eyes made me feel a little uneasy.

Levi’s face turned into a faint smile. “I’m really glad you asked that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

“Okay, listen, scaring me isn’t a good way to get me interested, so if you have any weird tricks up your sleeve just shelve them.” I wondered if this was the time to tell him I avoided horror movies like the plague.

“No tricks, hon.” Levi pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted a few times.

I continued my people watching. I’d never seen so many middle-aged people laughing and partying before. It almost felt like the twilight zone.

Levi slipped his phone back in his pocket. “We’re meeting everyone over at Club 360.”

“What’s that?”

“The lounge on the top of the World Trade Center down by the river.”

“Okay, is it a cool view?”

“Yeah, it’s got a good view.” Levi laughed again and I had the distinct impression he was hiding something from me.

“You promise you aren’t luring me into some trap?”

“A trap? No. Let’s just call it a new experience.”

My stomach dropped. What the heck did I get myself into?

Chapter Seven

The elevator doors opened on the top floor, dumping us out right at the club. As we pushed through the crowd, I felt distinctly underdressed. Things were usually very casual in New Orleans, but up there people were more dressed up.

Levi seemed to notice my discomfort. “Don’t worry, we won’t be here long.”

“Why are we here at all then?”

“Do you ever stop asking questions?”

“I only ask this many questions when I fear for my wellbeing.”

“I assure you that you are in good hands.” As if to make the meaning of his words literal, Levi put his arm around my waist, pulling me tight against his side. “I see them.”

We walked up to a small table in the corner overlooking the city.

“Allie! I’m so glad you came!” Hailey jumped out of her seat and hugged me.

I was thrilled to see that Hailey was also dressed casually in jeans. She wore a cropped cardigan sweater in a shade of blue that matched her eyes exactly.

“Yeah, I needed a night out.”

“Where’s your friend?” Jared asked casually.

“My friend? You mean Jess? She’s back in New York, no thanks to you.” Damn. I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth.

“She left? What does that have to do with me?”

“Nothing. Forget I said anything.” I took a seat next to Hailey.

“Okay...” Jared said giving me a look like he thought I was crazy. I doubted that Jared and I would ever get along.

I looked out the window. The skyline was lit by colorful lights that contrasted with the shadowing darkness. I could have stared at it for hours.

“All right, are you guys ready to go?” Hailey asked.

“What, already? I haven’t even had a chance to enjoy the view.”

“You think this is a good view? Oh, just you wait,” Levi said, making everyone laugh.

“What are you talking about?”

“You sure about this, Levi? You know there is no turning back, right?” Owen asked Levi, purposely avoiding my eyes.

“Absolutely.” Levi smiled making me feel even more uneasy.

Jared pushed out his chair. “Well, then let’s get going, it’s supposed to rain later tonight.”