Twilight Done Right

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Xavier Whitaker is a certified personal trainer that offers one on one weight training sessions as well as cardio training to anyone that seeks it, as long as they pay the required money by the hour. It was five at night now, so his shift at the fitness center was over. He gathered his equipment after seeing one of his clients off. "Stick to the diet I recommended!" he called after him, flashing a smile of white teeth and getting a smile in turn.

His life was so simple, but he enjoyed it still. School was not the greatest environment for Xavier, so he went through training at a fitness school, got certified and has been employed at a 24 hour fitness center for a little over a year now. He could not keep a relationship going for very long, but his highly social life helped keep the loneliness at bay. He was helping people get and stay healthy, which provided him with plenty of happiness.

After closing the doors, be appeared at the sidewalk with a white towel around his neck that was soaking the sweat from the workout he had with a client. He was dressed in his athletic get up that he could not wait to change out of and clean! Jogging back home almost sounded suicidal after what he'd just done, so he began walking back home. The man rarely used his motorcycle... So why did he even have it?
 
Just after five PM, the sun should have been down by now. The woman stepping back out of the apartment building was getting increasingly frustrated. Dressed in a light cream suit and a fashionable pair of heels, she could have easily been from upperclass New York or straight off a Paris runway. Yet, the large sun hat, dark sunglasses and cherry printed umbrella she was carrying over her head looked very out of place in the rainless twilight of the evening.

Down the front steps she stomped to a beat up looking vehicle parked on the edge of the sidewalk. It too didn't match her style. Having to be more than twenty years old and probably well on it's way to falling apart. She fetched a big box from the back, precariously trying to balance the umbrella over her head along with the box in her hands. Once she reached the stairs, her juggling became even more difficult when something decided to pop out of her box and go rolling down the sidewalk. A curse escaped her as she followed the bottle, trying to hook it with a foot and kick it back towards the stairs without letting sunlight touch her skin. ...Maybe she shouldn't have worn those strappy heels.
 
Xavier could feel a coolness settling in when his heart rate returned to normal, making him wish he remembered to bring a sweatshirt to make the walk home more bearable. He was staring blankly at the distance, making no acknowledgments of the people and structures he bypassed. The phase of emptiness ended when a he heard a clanking in his direction, which he looked around to find the source of.

"Hm?" He looked down at a bottle that stopped beneath his sneaker; this must have been what 'woke him up'. Carefully, he lifted his foot and grabbed the bottle, looking at it with a confused frown. It was like nothing he'd ever seen unless it was a prop for a movie. He could see a woman in his direction with a box... This bottle must be hers.

He slowly walked towards her, an eyebrow raised at the sight of her when she got closer. A sun hat and an umbrella? Perhaps, this really was a movie star or she just got back from a musical she starred in. "Is this yours?" he called out after coming to a halt.
 
With her eyes covered behind large sunglasses, he couldn't see the arch of her eyebrow. Of all the bottles she didn't want someone to pick up, he had to find that one. She shifted the box in her hands, trying to give him the hint to drop the bottle back in there where it belonged.

"Yes, thank you." she responded. Now that he was closer, it was easy to see that her skin was unusually pale. Even for someone with fair skin, it held very little color. Just a faint blush of pink at her hands where juggling her umbrella wasn't working out so well and the subtle brushes of makeup across her face. She smiled, flashing a perfect set of white teeth.

"Put it in the box." she finally said about the bottle. "And can you do me a favor and open the door for me?"
 
He did his best not to give her any funny looks as she thanked him, indeed noticing that her skin was a very pasty white and mostly covered. Like she asked, he put the bottle back into the box, resisting the urge to look at what else was in there. He'd have offered to carry it for her, but she'd already asked him to open the door for her. Besides, she probably didn't want him holding that box of...whatever was in there.

"Sure thing. You just move here?" Xavier made a smile and began walking towards the apartment complex. There was a very old, filthy looking car at the sidewalk that he didn't recognize. The line of vehicles here always looked the same when he walked through here... That thing was definitely a new addition.

"Which door's yours?" he asked.
 
The woman followed as he walked, still struggling to juggle her box and umbrella. And now she was trying to juggle something else! After a deep breath she was trying to keep her mouth shut. He smelled divine! An intoxicated mix of sweat, fading cologne and rich blood... Her favorite taste. He had to be AB or B... It just served to remind her that she hadn't eaten all day. Being out in the sun trying to move all of her things was taxing her body, and now her imagination was dreaming up inappropriate kidnapping situations.

"Uhm... yeah, I'm moving in today. Apartment H9." She motioned a finger and head towards the door, having no idea that it was coincidentally right next to his apartment.

Damn it, she needed the key. Her mouth twisting in to a frown, she fussed with moving around the box until she finally gave up with a huff. "...the key is in my front left pocket, can you reach it?"
 
He nodded to himself and followed her finger to the door with H9 on the front of it. While she fought with the box, he made a crooked smile and rubbed the back of his neck, now regretting he didn't at least offer to carry the box for her. Xavier's conscious was kicking him in the face for failing at such a simple task!

"Oh, ah? Okay." He gently bit the inside of his left cheek before reaching over to pull the key from her pocket. The other arm supported the box in case he caused her anymore trouble with holding it. Xavier had to admit, this was awkward. A single finger slid into the pocket and attached itself to the loop at the top of it, taking it into his grasp when it was successfully taken out.

The key was hastily put into the lock, smiling when he heard the click that told him it unlocked. He pushed the door open and stepped aside so she could enter... Her clothes were suddenly brought to her attention. They looked so expensive! Where was she from? That was a question for later if he had a chance to talk some more. He felt like he had to offer more help though... Rest and a shower could wait and she could always reject his offer,

"Need any help unpacking or anything...?"
 
Finally! Once inside she set the box down carefully on a table. Then she was folding up her umbrella and setting it aside. Along with her hat and her sunglasses. Her eyes were an unusual shade of golden brown. Almost looking like contacts, but it just as easily could have been the artificial light in the room. All of the curtains and blinds were drawn tight, leaving just the light of the table lamps to cast a subtle glow.

She looked at him, trying to decide whether or not she was going to accept his offer. One the one hand, she had boxes scattered all over the apartment. Some of them were quite heavy even by her standards and she wasn't fond of getting her hands dirty. On the other... He did smell SO good. It was almost like staring at fresh baked cookies right out of the oven and daring yourself not to eat one.

"I might..." she slowly replied, still debating his offer. "You don't quite look like you're ready for strenuous labor, though." A grin crossed her face as she pointed to his clothes. It was obvious he came from either a gym, or doing some activity outside. The fact his blood was still moving so quick wasn't helping her self control!
 
The removal of the hat and sunglasses allowed him to properly gaze at her beauty, his arm lifting above his head to rest on the doorjamb with the rest of his weight following it. He wondered if she was albino and those glassy eyes were contacts... At that point, he could understand why she'd wear a sun hat during the daytime. He'd forgotten his first impression of her and smiled to himself, thinking back to when his mother would say not to judge a book by its cover. There was also something hypnotizing about that white, toothy smile of hers.

When she pointed at his clothes, he looked down at himself and then chuckled. "I assure you that I can handle it, ma'am. What could you possibly have that's so heavy?"

Xavier still didn't go inside because he wasn't exactly invited in. "Besides, I'm used to it... I'd love to be able to help you out. At least let me put the heavier things away for you." He still felt like he needed to be kind and helpful to her, especially after seeing the amount of boxes she had. He assumed she lived alone and honestly, putting things away by yourself could be boring, lonely and difficult.
 
She felt like a super villain. Standing there so tempted to tap her fingers and murmur exceeellent under her breath. That thought alone had the corner of her mouth turning up to a smirk. At least she knew that she still had a sense of humor about this whole mess.

"Actually, I have a bedframe that needs to be set up. It's an antique, so the wood is solid and really heavy. Then the mattress of course." It probably wasn't the best idea to let him linger around, but she had zero discipline. Luckily she had her bottles with her. In fact, she took one out of the box now and twisted the top open so she could take a quick drink.

She wiggled a finger to beckon him inside. After all, he was letting too much sunlight spill in to the apartment, and if she wanted to get started with all this stuff, she needed the room nice and dim. "Come on in, then. I'd offer you a snack or something, but I don't really have anything edible..."
 
Asking for help with a bed was completely understandable! Those things could be a pain to move and they weren't the easiest to lift either. Still, he was delighted to be able to help her; this was going to rid him of the guilt from earlier. Even better, maybe he made a friend?

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him while she drank from a bottle like the one he found. With a friendly grin, he stepped inside and put a hand over his heart, "It's okay! I'll get something to eat later. My name is Xavier, by the way." After introducing himself, he hoped she'd return the favor. There was no time to waste, so he went ahead to the room with the bed frame and mattress, examining it so he knew how careful to be. It indeed looked like an antique; it was much more attractive than that antique of a car she had.

"Where would you like it, exactly?" he asked, walking over to the frame and testing the weight with a brief lift. This would have to be done very quickly and cautiously.
 
Making sure she had a very good swig of the bottle's contents, she finally set it down on the counter to follow him in to the bedroom. Glancing around at the walls, she finally pointed to the center of the furthest most wall. The one without any doors or windows in the way. That would be the best place for getting sleep.

"Right there in the center. My name is Cadence." She leaned in the door frame out of the way. Wrapping one arm around her waist while her other hand tapped lightly at her chin. Cadence was almost watching him like a cat would to a chirping bird. And she knew she was, which was making it worse. Kind of like a test to her willpower. It had been so long since she was around real live people... she was going to have to be able to stand in close quarters like this and not give in to temptation.

"Do you live here in the apartments?" she asked, curiously. And not because she was considering paying him a midnight visit. It was a good idea to try and avoid this man in the future. For his own good.
 
After rubbing his hands together and taking a couple deep breaths to help him focus, Xavier gave the frame a push while depending on his leg muscles. He moved it across the room to the center of the furthest wall like she asked, stopping when he heard a small thud. He used the convenient towel around his neck to swipe across his forehead, soaking up a bit of perspiration that mainly resulted from nervousness. The successful move made him smile. Now he could move on to the easier task: the mattress.

"It's nice to meet you, Cadence." The name was different from anything else he's ever heard. Wherever she was from, he probably never been there. "And yeah, I do! I live in H1, actually. So if you ever need more help or anything, feel free to bug me."

Xavier flashed one more grin before walking over to the mattress, pushing it across the room with ease and then lifting it so he could place it in the frame. From the looks of it, he didn't ruin anything... The small amount of work did not settle the blood rush he already had from earlier, keeping him ever so lively. In the later hours, he was sure to crash on his bed, though. All the work outs gave Xavier absolutely no sleeping problems. "Anything else I can do?"
 
Hmm. It gave a whole new meaning to hot-blooded male. Cadence could feel her teeth digging in to her tongue. Not good, not good at all! Turned on her heels, she was striding away from the bedroom and back to where she left that bottle. With fumbling fingers she was popping it open and taking another big swig. This was her limit break, she needed to shoo him away before she had herself an early dinner.

"I will most certainly come calling if I needed anything else. And I do appreciate you moving that thing around for me. It's getting late, though, and I'm sure you want to get a nice hot shower and have a bite to eat yourself..." Oooh, hot steamy shower and a bite to eat. What a beautiful mental picture! Cadence shook her head and coughed. When she turned around she offered him a closed-mouth smile. No teeth.

"Thanks again, neighbor."
 
Xavier put his hands on his waist and nodding approvingly at the bed before looking to the spot Cadence was standing in. She ran away so quickly... Definitely an unusual woman, drinking from that bottle again. He made a mental shrug and stepped completely out of the room, smiling back at her.

"Cool, cool. Have a good night!"

He waved as he walked away, opening and closing the door quietly to not disturb the neighbors. After unlocking his home and getting inside, he tossed his towel into the laundry basket, also stripping off everything but his underwear. He felt something solid in the pocket of his sweatpants... Cadence's key! He set it down on to his coffee table and decided he'd return it after his dinner and his shower. Xavier was beginning to feel light headed and he felt gross after everything he did today.

He went into his bathroom and turned the water on, going to his kitchen afterward to make a sandwich while he waited for the water to warm up. Bread, turkey, lettuce, ham, another piece of lettuce, cheese, bread... It was devoured in very few bites, crumbs wiped off with a napkin. After a tall glass of two percent milk, he set his dishes into the sink.

The water was nice and hot now! The fan was turned so the air would be clearer while he showered. "Ah, yeah." he muttered to himself the moment the water hit him.
 
Thank god he was gone! As soon as Xavier was out of the apartment and the door closed behind him, Cadence let out a loud relieved sigh. A few more minutes and that man was going to be thrown on the floor with his clothes ripped off and her teeth sunk in to his neck. Cadence found herself drinking the last of the bottle's contents and finding herself completely unsatisfied.

Cadence tried to get her mind back on track. Away from thoughts of good looking men with the misfortune of the ideal blood-type, and back on what she was here for. A new start. Shifting boxes around the room, she spent the last of the daylight hours unpacking and decorating the sparse walls of the apartment. Most of the things in her collection were antique, beautiful, and definitely expensive. As the sun set, Cadence found herself much more relaxed and energized.

Soon after it was long gone, Cadence picked up the phone and dialed a number. A female's voice answered on the other end.

"Yes, Cadence?"

"That confidence I had so much of earlier this week? Yeah, that was a big lie. I'm not sure I can do this anymore. One well meaning man, and now I'm thinking of him like a porter house steak." Cadence sat down on the sofa, flicking her fingers over a tasseled pillow.

"My sweet, vampires have lived with humans for thousands of years. It just takes time to get used to your... urges."

Cadence rolled her eyes. "I've been like this for half a century. I should have control by now."

"You've never lived around humans until now. Sweetling, don't torment yourself. Take what you want, just be wise about it. No harm in having a snack."

"Well, thank you for encouraging me to eat my neighbors. I'll talk to you soon, Mother." Cadence hung up the phone and tossed it aside. Really, that woman was no help what-so-ever.

Kicking off her shoes, Cadence made herself comfortable on the sofa. One tiny little nap, and maybe she'd go outside once the moon was nice and high. If she were going to sink her teeth in to something, it was best that she picked off some poor drunk hobo in the park. Not her neighbor.
 
Xavier spent a good, long time in the shower, his blond hair flat against his head when he stepped out to dry off. He rubbed a towel over his head while he walked into his bedroom, pulling on a pair of clean boxer shorts. The time had really ticked while he was in the bathroom... He hoped he wouldn't be disturbing Cadence when he'd return the key. That was an object he should not forget about; what if she needed to lock her house tomorrow? After all, his shift tomorrow started relatively early.

Instead of more athletic clothing, he decided on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. His left arm displayed the tattoo of a rose that curled around his muscular bicep, the thorns a dark green and beautiful detail in the petals. He ran a comb through his hair that was still a bit damp, but presentable. After all, he was just delivering her key to her!

He slipped on a pair of sandals instead of going through the trouble of socks and shoe laces that would all be taken off when he came back anyway. The key was swooped from his table and and stepped out of his apartment, closing the door and staring at the road ahead of him. He waited for the light sensors to detect he was there, the lights flickering on as he walked closer to H9.

Xavier stood at her doormat for a few moments, trying to think of anything else to say... Why in the world was he pondering this? After a sigh, he made a few knocks on the door, saying "Hey, here's your key. Sorry I forgot to give it back." whenever it'd open.
 
Cadence had almost fallen asleep when she heard the knock on the door. Peculiar to have someone knock this late. As she rose from the sofa, she took off her jacket, leaving her in just the thin sleeveless silk blouse and her slacks. Now that the sun was gone, it was nice to get that layer of clothes off.

She crossed the room and opened the door. Blinking in surprise at seeing Xavier there, clean and faintly damp. She could smell the soap and shampoo on him. But just as strong was his blood. Cadence nearly slammed the door in his face.

She cleared her throat. Ah, her keys. Cadence held out her hand. "Right. I forgot all about those." she murmured softly. Those words over the phone lingered in her mind, but she pushed the thoughts back. "Thanks. I'd had to of locked myself out later."
 
He expected she'd be surprised to see him. She seemed to be nervous about something... That was probably just him, though. "Oh, that would have been a bummer." he said, frowning crookedly while he dangled the keys over her hand and dropped them into her palm.

There was something else he wanted to say, but he paused when he felt something pierce his hand when he set it on to the door frame. There must have been a piece of wood falling apart or a nail... His hand snapped back and he made a hiss while examining the wound. A bit of blood had spilled out from the cut, but nothing serious.
 
The metallic scent of copper and iron filled her nostrils. Bittersweet torture with every deep breath she took. Cadence bit in to her tongue as she was forced to turn away. However, she stepped to the side, allowing him room to come in to the apartment.

"Why don't you come in and let me take care of that?" A bandage. That was all she would do. Make sure there wasn't a splinter, clean it up and then give a bandage. It's what a good neighbor did, right? She was absolutely not going to take a bite out of his finger and more.
 
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