Exchange

  “This is impossible!” Tiffany wailed, throwing down the apartment listings and burying her face in her hands.

    “There has to be something,” Sunny chimed in unhelpfully from the couch that Tiffany was leaning against, “People are always renting out apartments to college students. This is a college town. You’ll find something.”

    “This is all your fault,” Tiffany whined, the sound muffled by her hands, “If you weren’t going abroad next semester, I wouldn’t have to move!”

    “I’m sorry,” Sunny apologized for the millionth time, “But you’d go to Paris too if you were in my position.”

    Unable to deny the fact, Tiffany just let out another whimper of frustration and flopped back onto the hard wood floor. In exactly three weeks, their lease was up and they both had to be out of their apartment. Of course Sunny wasn’t worried at all since she was flitting off to Paris. Tiffany, however, was staying in Korea to complete the second semester of her junior year of college. That is if she could find a place to live.

---

    “Sunny!” Tiffany called from her bedroom, looking up when her roommate shuffled to her door in a big sweatshirt and a pair of boxers, “What do you think of this?”

    Sunny walked over to the computer and read over what Tiffany was pointing to.

    “I told you!” she gloated, standing up straight and playfully shoving at Tiffany’s shoulder.

    “But what’s the catch?” the taller girl asked, looking quite distressed, Sunny thought, for someone who’d found an apartment listing for so cheap.

    “Catch?”

    “There are two other ads up for rooms in this building but this one is half the price. There has to be a catch,” she explained.

    “Maybe it’s just smaller or something,” Sunny shrugged, ever the optimist. And while Tiffany was fairly optimistic herself, Sunny was just ridiculous.

    “That’s what I thought, but I called the management office and the guy who owns the building said that all of the rooms are the same size.”

    “So did he tell you why that one is so much cheaper?”

    “He didn’t know,” Tiffany sighed, “It’s an ad for a roommate, so whoever is renting that apartment is the one who made the ad and listed the rent that they want.”

    “Hmm…” Sunny paused, tapping her chin and scratching the back of her calf with a sock-covered foot as she thought, “It seems a little shady, but you should at least go look. It’s a good apartment at a good price. It’s worth a try.”

    “But what if like…a rapist lives there or something?” Tiffany fretted, “And he’s not really renting out a room at all! He just posts ads with tantalizingly affordable prices to lure poor girls to his door!”

    Sunny was staring at her, open-mouthed, when she had finished theorizing before the shorter girl just shook her head- turning to leave the room.

    “You watch too many movies,” she called over her shoulder.

    Tiffany wasn’t convinced that her theory was as unlikely as Sunny seemed to think it was. But the apartment was affordable. And she was running out of time.

    So, despite her misgivings, she responded to the ad via email and set up an appointment for that Saturday afternoon.

---

    Tiffany was surprised to come face to face with, not a creepy man, but a girl who looked to be around her age- blonde hair, side swept bangs, delicate bone structure. She was actually quite beautiful; the opposite of what she had been expecting.

    “You must be Tiffany,” the blonde woman said, smiling and reaching out to shake her hand.

    Hesitantly, Tiffany reciprocated the action, nodding to confirm that she was, indeed, Tiffany.

    “I’m Jessica,” the other woman said, releasing her hand and stepping back to let Tiffany pass, “Come in. I’ll show you around.”

    The first thing that Tiffany noticed was how bright the main room was- big windows on the back wall while the rest of the walls were painted white and white furniture with colored accent pillows filled the space. Part of her wanted to spend the rest of her life relaxing on the couch and reading a book while the other half feared that she’d surely mess up the careful decorations somehow.

    Not that it was impeccably clean like a show room; there was enough clutter to show that someone comfortably lived there- piles of fashion magazines on the coffee table, DVDs stacked on shelves next to the TV, various photographs and trinkets on most horizontal surfaces. It was homey and Tiffany had a good feeling about it.

    “It’s really nice,” she said, looking around as Jessica closed the door behind her, “It’s bigger than I expected.”

    “I’m glad that you like it,” Jessica smiled, leading the way to the kitchen which was also mostly white with new looking stainless steel appliances, “This is the kitchen. Obviously.” She giggled and Tiffany found herself smiling in response.

    “This is twice the size of my kitchen now,” Tiffany marveled, running her fingers along the brushed steel of the handle of the refrigerator.

    “Follow me and I’ll show you what would be your bedroom,” Jessica instructed, walking over to a closed door and opening it to reveal another all white room with just a bed frame, mattress, and dresser in it, “It isn’t very exciting now,” she admitted, “But you can do whatever you want with it.”

    “I have lots of posters,” Tiffany supplied, feeling stupid as soon as the words had come out of her mouth- she sounded like an eight year old! But Jessica didn’t seem bothered, just ushering her out and leading the way to her bedroom.

    Tiffany immediately noticed that the other girl’s room was the only room in the apartment not white- instead the walls were painted a charcoal grey and the drapes were a deep pink, the same pink as her bedding which was covered in a vintage looking floral print. But it was the fact that the drapes were drawn that made the room so dark in comparison, not the color scheme.

    “This room is the same size as the other one,” Jessica was saying, “So it’s obviously possible to make it look more like a bedroom and less like a hospital room,” she joked.

    “It looks good,” Tiffany nodded, noting with some relief that there were posters- prints from vintage Vogue magazines, but still- on the wall.

    “So do you think you’d be interested in renting the room?” Jessica asked, “I don’t mean to pressure you or anything,” she quickly added, “If you want to go home to think first, that’s fine. But if you are, we can talk about it now. There are probably a few things that we should go over before you decide if you want to sign anything.”

    Tiffany paused, considering her options. Although she’d been wary coming in, this was just what she’d been looking for. In fact, it was better than what she’d expected to be able to find. It was spacious, aesthetically pleasing, close to her college, in a safe area… Plus, Jessica didn’t seem to be a creep. All in all, it was safe to say that she wouldn’t find a better place even if she had a year to look.

    “I’m interested,” she smiled, seeing Jessica’s face break out into a grin in response.

    “Alright, let’s sit go sit on the couch and talk about payment then.”

---

    Tiffany walked back to her current apartment in a daze. That…had not been what she’d been expecting. She almost wanted to congratulate herself for having the instinct that it was too good to be true. But was it really? The reality of the situation wasn’t…that bad. Or maybe it was.

    Tiffany shivered as she recalled what Jessica had said to her- those three words that had made her heart nearly stop with shock and, quite frankly, panic: I’m a vampire.

    It’s not that Tiffany hadn’t known that vampires existed. Of course she had- she’d learned about them in school and how they weren’t something to be feared since the government had come up with a safe way to manage them and allow them to eat without any humans being harmed in the process. But that had been a long time ago and it had never affected her life so she’d barely given it a second thought. Now though…

    Tiffany tried to recall what exactly she’d learned about vampires. She knew that most of them lived in government run facilities where every citizen eventually had to go and be fed off of. According to her teachers, the vampires would get to choose from a group of humans and then they’d feed off their choice before the person was allowed to go back to their daily life no different than before they’d gone in. And while that sounded pretty terrifying, even if it was something that everyone had to go through, Tiffany hadn’t given it much thought. She hadn’t yet been summoned and it kind of felt like one of those things that happen to other people and wouldn’t happen to her, even if she knew that it would eventually.

    She also recalled the teachers saying that some vampires found other means of acquiring a food source if they had someone willing to let them feed, but that they shouldn’t worry because every vampire had to register with the government so they were kept track of. Though the teachers never went into much detail on that.

    Now, however, Tiffany had a really good idea of how those vampires who chose not to live in the government buildings managed to survive.

    “You’re probably wondering why the rent is so cheap,” Jessica had said, suddenly looking a bit nervous.

    Tiffany had nodded.

    “Well, I offer to pay more than my half of the rent in exchange for a favor from whoever moves in here,” she’d said, “You see, I’m a vampire.”

    At that point, Tiffany was fairly positive that she wasn’t breathing. She felt like her heart was no longer beating and that her blood had frozen in her veins. Which was quite ironic, honestly. Part of her wanted to jump up off the couch and run home without looking back, though it seemed that she was too shocked to actually manage this. But another part of her reassured her that it didn’t seem that she was in any danger- Jessica wasn’t trying to kidnap her or kill her and she didn’t look like she was getting ready to pounce (though Tiffany wasn’t really sure if that’s what vampires even did). She was just sitting there, looking anxious and as though she was ready for Tiffany to spit in her face.

    “Oh,” she’d finally croaked out, wringing her hands together.

    “I understand if that makes you uncomfortable,” Jessica had said, “You can leave now if you want.”

    But for some reason that Tiffany wasn’t even sure of after she’d left, she hadn’t. Instead, she’d stayed and asked Jessica to explain exactly what the exchange would entail.

    “As you probably know, vampires need to feed at least once a week in order to live. So in exchange for picking up some of your share of the rent, you would let me feed from you.”

    She’d stopped then and bit her lip, obviously aware of that Tiffany’s eyes were growing wider by the moment and that she had a white-knuckled grip on her purse.

    “It’s not a lot,” she had clarified after a moment, “It isn’t harmful and all it does is make you a little sleepy right afterwards. And it’s been medically proven that it’s perfectly safe for a person to be fed from up to three times a week. Though I’d just be asking for once a week because that’s plenty.”

    Jessica had stopped talking again, this time seemingly waiting for Tiffany to say something.

    “Is that why your room is so dark?” was what had come out of Tiffany’s mouth, much to her humiliation. Of all things to ask.

    Jessica had seemed surprised by the question too. Though, after a moment, she’d burst out laughing- her delicate hand coming up to cover her mouth as she appeared to almost be crying she was laughing so hard.

    “No!” she’d gasped out between fits of giggles, “I just like to sleep!”

    Tiffany had felt some of the tension drain from her body at that, even chuckling a bit at her own stupidity as Jessica explained that sunlight being harmful to vampires was just a myth. After she’d gotten her laughter in check, that is.

    Shortly thereafter, Tiffany had left the spacious apartment, promising to call Jessica within the week to let her know if she was interested. Fortunately, the other girl was understanding of Tiffany’s shock and let her leave without any further probing as to whether or not she was still interested in the apartment.

    To be honest, Tiffany wasn’t even sure herself.

    There was a part of her that just wanted to call Jessica immediately and tell her that it was off. Then she could just pretend the whole thing had never happened and she could go back to all but forgetting that vampires even existed until she was summoned to feed one of them.

    But even as she clutched her cell phone in one hand with Jessica’s number scrawled onto a piece of paper in girly handwriting in the other, she couldn’t bring herself to dial.

    It was a really nice apartment, she told herself, that’s why she was still considering moving in there. However, the niggling curiosity about the whole ordeal was pretty hard to ignore.

    She would definitely have to give it more thought.

---

     “That sounds awesome!” Sunny exclaimed as soon as Tiffany had finished explaining the situation to her.

    “What?” Tiffany asked, incredulous. Sunny was optimistic, enthusiastic, and always up for new things, but this…Tiffany never expected that she’d be so excited about something like this.

    “How cool would it be to say that you live with a vampire?” Sunny gushed, “No one would ever mess with you!”

    “No one really messes with me now…” Tiffany pointed out, still not quite understanding the other girl’s enthusiasm.

    “I mean, that’s an experience that most can’t say that they’ve had!”

    “Well, I guess that’s true, but…” Tiffany paused, thinking back to her meeting with Jessica, “It’s not that I’m that hesitant to live with a vampire. I mean, Jessica seemed nice. It’s just…the feeding.”

    “It can’t be that bad,” Sunny waved her hand in a dismissive fashion, “Everyone has to do it at some point anyway. And it’s not harmful.”

    “I know…it’s just kind of hard to get my head around.”

    “I’m sure that you’ll get used to it,” Sunny rationalized, packing her books into a large cardboard box.

    “Maybe…”

    “And you said it’s a nice apartment, right?”

    “Yeah, it’s really nice,” Tiffany confirmed. And while she could admit that Sunny did make some good points, she wasn’t quite sold.

    So that night, after Sunny disappeared into her bedroom to curl up and watch dramas on her computer, Tiffany sat at her desk and set to work researching vampires.

    Within the first ten minutes or so, she was able to confirm what Jessica had told her along with everything that she remembered from school. But she wanted to know more than that. Which was how she ended up on a vampire-centered forum catering toward humans with a particular interest in the…species.

    Much of the topics were based around the mandatory blood “donations” that every person must make at some point in their lives. Tiffany read up on how, exactly, it all worked and was surprised to find that sex was something optional that a person could “offer” to the vampire who chose them. It was apparently not any sort of well-kept secret or anything, but she’d just never paid any attention before.

    But that didn’t affect her (not right now anyway), so she went to a sub-board that seemed to focus on the bite itself. It seemed that the general consensus was that it stung at first, but the pain faded quickly giving way to tiredness (just as Jessica had said) or arousal. Arousal? Jessica hadn’t said anything about that. Though Tiffany reasoned that perhaps it only aroused people who had some sort of fetish for this kind of thing.

    After that, Tiffany found her way to a sub forum about humans living with vampires, reading about people just like herself who had taken up residence with a vampire and gave their blood in exchange for a room, or for a discounted price. The stories varied from completely unsuccessful to stories about pairs that became best friends or even lovers. Of course there were instances where nothing out of the ordinary happened and the person simply looked at the feeding as a chore they had to do around the house like taking their turn to wash the dishes. All in all, it didn’t seem to be as big of a deal as she had originally thought. Though the idea of living with a vampire still seemed pretty out there to her.

    Forty minutes and more information than she’d ever wanted to know, along with more questions than she’d started with, Tiffany found herself reading a post by a man who had fallen in love with the vampire who had chosen him when he had gone to do his part and give blood. Apparently they had maintained a relationship while the vampire continued to live in the government run building for a while before he eventually moved out to live with the man.

    It wasn’t exactly applicable to Tiffany’s current situation, but it was certainly a captivating story- easily the most interesting and personal-feeling entry that she had read on the forum. Curiously, she clicked on the man’s user name and found herself on his profile- 25 year old, male, and he actually lived just two towns over. Tiffany let her cursor hover over the private message for a moment before she decided, screw it, and clicked.

---

    “Thanks for meeting with me,” Tiffany said to the tall and slender man who sat opposite her at a tiny table at a coffee shop located approximately halfway between their respective homes, “I know this is probably kind of weird…”

    “Not at all,” the man- Zhou Mi, Tiffany reminded herself- said in slightly accented Korean, smiling brightly and flipping his red hair out of his eyes, “I know the whole ‘vampire thing’ can be really intimidating at first.”

    Tiffany nodded, smiling gratefully.

    “You…came alone?” she asked, feeling kind of stupid. It’s not that she had asked him to bring his…vampire lover? (Tiffany almost snorted at that- it sounded like a bad romance novel) But she’d been half expecting him to.

    “Well, Kuixian…Kyuhyun, is available to come if you want to meet him later, but I figured that I’d come alone so you could ask any…sensitive questions without fear of offending him. Though I doubt that’s even possible,” he chuckled.

    She was a bit relieved, to be honest, that it was just her and Zhou Mi, at least for the time being. She already felt weird enough without having a vampire watch her stumble through a bunch of stupid questions.

    “So what’s it like?” she asked before she had properly thought through what was going to come out of her mouth.

    “What’s what like?” Zhou Mi asked, an amused, but understanding smile on his face.

    “Um…” Tiffany realized that she no more knew what she was asking than Zhou Mi did, “The bite?”

    Zhou Mi immediately nodded as though he was expecting it.

    “The fear of what it will be like the first time is the worst part,” he told her, “It hurts, of course. But the pain doesn’t last long. And it’s not unbearable. Your neck might be a little sore the next day, but that’s not bad either and it fades pretty quickly.”

    “How often do you…?”

    “As you probably know, vampires only need to feed once a week to stay healthy, but sometimes he’ll feed three times a week. But don’t worry about having to do it that much if you don’t want to- it’s different because we’re a couple. I’m sure that the girl with whom you’re considering moving in wouldn’t expect it that often.”

    “She said just once a week,” Tiffany nodded, trying not to think about the things she’d read about feeding often coming with sex, “What happens if a vampire doesn’t eat once a week?”

    “It’s just the same as if you or I skipped a couple of meals,” he explained, “Kyuhyun says that he gets weak and tired and that he sometimes gets a headache as well. And while not eating properly isn’t good, it’s not like a vampire will just drop dead if eight days pass without them feeding.”

    Tiffany went on the ask Zhou Mi whatever else she could think of to ask him. And though he mostly just reiterated what she’d already learned in her own research, it was nice to hear it from someone’s mouth- someone who had personal experience to draw upon.

    After they’d been speaking for forty minutes or so, Zhou Mi texted Kyuhyun so Tiffany would be able to him anything that she was curious about.  And as they waited for his arrival, Tiffany asked one last question.

    “Should I do it? Should I move in?” She knew that he couldn’t actually give her an answer, but she wished that he could. She had taken in so much new information in the past few days that she was completely overwhelmed. She didn’t feel that she was in any state to be making an important decision.

    “That’s up to you, Tiffany,” Zhou Mi predictably answered, “But, from what you’ve told me, the situation seems to be safe and fair. It’s just up to you what you think is right for yourself.”

    “I know. It’s just…a lot to take in.”

    “It is,” he agreed, “But at least know that it’s perfectly safe. It’s just what you’re comfortable with.”

    Tiffany nodded, her head spinning with different scenarios, but she was pulled out of her reverie by a bright call from Zhou Mi.

    “Kuixian!”

    The next thing she knew, a man- or vampire, she supposed- sat down next to Zhou Mi. He looked perfectly normal- she would never have guessed that he was a vampire- with shaggy brown hair, dark brown eyes, and long limbs.

    “This is Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi introduced him, “And Kuixian, this is Tiffany.”

    “Nice to meet you,” Kyuhyun politely greeted her, lips quirking in a smile.

    “You too,” Tiffany responded, suddenly feeling a bit like the odd one out with the way that Zhou Mi so naturally leaned into the other man, a look of adoration in his eyes.

    “So Tiffany is considering moving in with a vampire,” Zhou Mi stated conversationally as though that was a normal topic of conversation. Though, to them, Tiffany supposed, it was.

    “Are they male or female?” Kyuhyun asked.

    “Female,” Tiffany supplied, not really knowing why it mattered.

    “What difference does that make?” Zhou Mi asked. Apparently he didn’t know why either.

    “Well, if you were a girl, I doubt we’d be in this situation,” he teased, chuckling. Zhou Mi flushed and Tiffany did as well. She’d avoided dating for the most part- always too busy with school and extra-curricular activities- and though she’d had a few casual boyfriends, she’d never put a great deal of thought into her sexuality.

    “Kuixian!” Zhou Mi admonished, shooting an apologetic glance at Tiffany.

    Kyuhyun just laughed, clearly enjoying the fact that he’d gotten Zhou Mi frazzled, and Tiffany took the opportunity to look at his teeth- something that she’d been too shocked even to do when she’d been talking to Jessica. And though it wasn’t extremely noticeable, Tiffany could see the way his canines came down into sharp points. It certainly wouldn’t have been something that she’d have been aware of if she wasn’t looking though, and that made her wonder just how many vampires she came into contact with on a daily basis without even realizing it.

    And while that was a somewhat jarring thought, it was also comforting in a way- it meant that presumably, aside from the whole feeding thing, living with Jessica would be no different from living with Sunny. Well, except for the fact that she doubted that Jessica would squeal quite as loudly as Sunny did when “her” Sungmin oppa (she continued to call him that even after Tiffany kindly pointed out that claiming possession over a stranger was kind of bizarre…and inaccurate) came on TV.

    Tiffany briefly discussed her particular situation with Kyuhyun and he had pretty much the same things to say as Zhou Mi had. By the time they parted ways- Tiffany profusely thanking both of them, especially Zhou Mi- she felt a little better about the circumstances that she found herself in. And certainly more informed. But she still wasn’t sure what she wanted to do.    

---

    “Jessica? It’s Tiffany,” she spoke tentatively into the phone. Over the course of the past two days, she’d practically been living in her head, trying to decide what to do.  She knew that Sunny thought that she was insane for thinking so hard about it (“just move in with her, you drama queen”), but she wanted to be absolutely sure about her decision because it would be even more unfair to Jessica if she moved in and then decided that she couldn’t go through with it.    

    “Hi Tiffany,” Jessica responded on the other end of the line, “How are you?”

    She sounded happy to being hearing from her, but something about her voice betrayed her nerves- she was probably worried about what she would learn from this phone call, Tiffany realized.

    “Good,” she responded, knowing that were both stalling, “How about you?”

    “Good,” Jessica replied and then paused, “Have thought any more about…”

    Tiffany almost wanted to laugh. She’d thought of almost nothing but the prospect of moving in with her.

    “Yeah, I’ve been thinking a lot,” Tiffany confessed, “And researching honestly,” she added with a nervous chuckle.

    “And…?” Jessica prompted when Tiffany didn’t immediately continue. The fact that Jessica seemed to be genuinely hoping that Tiffany would move in with her somehow brought comfort to her.

    “I’d like to move in,” she said, words almost blending together in her rush to get the sentence out before she could chicken out.

    “Really?” Jessica sounded surprised, “That’s great!”

    “Yeah,” Tiffany couldn’t help, but smile at the genuine excitement in the other girl’s voice, “So…when do you want me to move in?”

    “As soon as you want,” Jessica told her, “The room is empty!”

    “This weekend?” Tiffany ventured, knowing that she had to be out of her apartment the following Wednesday.

    “That’s perfect! Just let me know what time you’re coming and I will be sure to be there so I can help you bring everything in and get set up.”

    After they’d ironed out their plans, Tiffany hung up the phone feeling both more and less anxious than she had before. This was really happening- she was really going to do this. But at the same time, actually speaking to Jessica reminded Tiffany that she’d liked her right away- the only thing she’d been focusing on about the other girl for the past week had been the fact that she was a vampire.

    But it was all decided now and at least she wouldn’t have to listen to Sunny bugging her to just do it, anymore. Though now she had to try to convince the other girl to help her move.

---

    “At least we don’t have to move any furniture,” Jessica joked as she picked up a particularly heavy box out of the back of the minivan that Tiffany had rented for the occasion.

    “Thank goodness,” Sunny agreed, struggling with two heavy tote bags.

    Tiffany smiled sheepishly and followed the other two to the elevator with a floor lamp in her grasp. She was extremely grateful for all of the help (though she was pretty sure that Sunny had only been enthusiastic about coming because she wanted to meet Jessica). But still, she was there and working hard to get Tiffany moved in. And the fact that Jessica had been waiting on the sidewalk in a white t-shirt, skinny jeans, and her hair in a ponytail, ready to help, when they’d pulled up gave Tiffany a really good feeling about her new roommate.

    “That’s everything!” Sunny announced, setting down a box with a flourish, “I’m gonna go take the van back while you get settled in.”

    “Thank you so much for helping,” Tiffany gushed, pulling the van keys out of her pocket and handing them over to Sunny.

    “No problem,” she grinned, “I’ll come back tomorrow to visit and help if you still need to organize anything.”

    “Sounds like a plan,” Tiffany smiled.

    “I can’t believe that we’re not going to be roommates anymore!” Sunny suddenly exclaimed, lips pulling down into a pout, “The apartment is going to feel so empty when I get back!”

    “I know!” Tiffany wailed, suddenly feeling as though it was the end of an era. She’d been so concerned about whether or not to move in with Jessica, she had forgotten that she’d no longer be living with Sunny.

    The two girls hugged, giggling over how silly they were being since they were going to see each other the very next day while Jessica busied herself with pulling stacks of books out of boxes.

    After Sunny left, Tiffany wandered back into her new bedroom where Jessica was staring at the piles of boxes. Noticing Tiffany in the doorway, she turned around, giggling slightly.

    “I don’t really know where you want to start.”

    “I don’t either,” Tiffany laughed. “But don’t feel like you have to help or anything! You’ve already helped so much. I really appreciate it.”

    Jessica waved her off, claiming that it was no big deal.

    “Should we start at the top?” she suggested, pointing to the box that was stacked the highest.

    Tiffany grinned.

    “Sure.”

Tiffany eyed the clock- eight o’clock on Friday night. It had been nearly a week since she had moved in and a day since Sunny had left for Paris. Everything was going well and it was all very normal- Tiffany went to class, came home, procrastinated, did her homework, ate dinner (alone since Jessica didn’t eat regular food), and usually spent some time hanging out with her new roommate. It was everything that she would have expected from the situation.

    But it had been nearly a week now and they hadn’t spoken any further of their unique situation. Tiffany was somewhat glad because the past few days had been a good opportunity for her to get to know Jessica without being constantly reminded that she wasn’t quite human. However, she was beginning to get anxious- never knowing when it would be brought up. Or was she supposed to bring it up?

    Surely Jessica was going to have to feed soon. And Tiffany kind of just wanted to get the first time over with so she could stop worrying about it so much.

    Jessica was currently in her room while Tiffany lounged on the couch and half-focused on the book she was reading for her literature class. It seemed like a nice, relaxed evening, but she sensed something different- Jessica had seemed almost nervous when she’d talked to her earlier that day and Tiffany had a strong feeling that she was going to find out what being bitten by a vampire was like firsthand very soon.

    And if the feeling wasn’t enough, there was the obvious fact that Jessica hadn’t fed for at least six days.

    Sure enough, just thirty or so minutes later, Jessica was hovering at the edge of the living room looking at Tiffany and tugging nervously at her camisole.

    “Um…” she began, looking almost frail in her black leggings, “I…is it alright if I…?” she trailed off, biting her lip and looking like she was expecting Tiffany to tell her off.

    Tiffany set her book down on the coffee table and couldn’t help, but feel empathetic for the other girl. She was obviously just as nervous as Tiffany was, just for different reasons.

    “Of course,” she replied, smiling and trying not to give away how nervous she was.

    “Thank you,” Jessica sent her grateful look and made her way over to the couch to take a seat next to Tiffany.

    “We’re doing it here? On a white couch?” Tiffany found herself asking.

    Jessica laughed.

    “Don’t worry, I’m very neat.”

    “Okay,” Tiffany giggled, feeling some of her nervousness fall away. Jessica has done this a million times, she reminded herself, she knows what she’s doing.

    “Just sit back and try to relax,” Jessica instructed, pulling her feet underneath her and turning so that she was facing Tiffany while the latter remained sitting normally, “I’ll start whenever you’re ready and only take as much as I need, which isn’t a dangerous amount for you to lose. You should be perfectly fine once the initial sting fades, but if you want me to stop at any point, just say so, okay?”

    Tiffany nodded, swallowing nervously and trying her hardest to relax.

    “Are you ready?” Jessica asked and Tiffany nodded again, singing a song in her head to distract herself.

    Though the feel of Jessica’s mouth nearing her neck was hard to ignore, especially when the other girl was so close that Tiffany could feel her warm breath on the side of her neck sending a slight shiver through her that wasn’t entirely unpleasant. The next thing she felt was Jessica’s lips brushing against the sensitive flesh, but before she could even process that, there was a sharp sting that made her wince just slightly, and then she could feel the way that the other girl was drawing blood from her- gently and slowly.

    It was a heady sensation once the sting had faded- just as had been promised. Before she knew it, the sharp pain had dulled until it disappeared completely and all she could focus on was the sensation of her blood flowing out of her neck and into Jessica’s mouth- the other girl’s lips flush against her skin to keep any of the thick substance from escaping.

    Tiffany felt her limbs relaxing- getting heavy like lead and yet almost feeling as though they were floating simultaneously. A ticklish sensation filled her torso- almost like the warmth that one felt in their chest when watching a particularly romantic film. Her vision was a little blurry and she almost felt as though she could fall asleep were it not for the sensations assailing her body.

    But just when she began to feel as though she never ever wanted Jessica to stop, she found that the other girl already had and was currently climbing off the couch and heading for the kitchen. And Tiffany almost wanted to reach out and tell her not to go anywhere, but she was too blissed out to do any such thing. So she relaxed against the soft cushions until she heard Jessica’s bare feet against the hardwood floor next to her and the couch dip under her weight once again.

    “Drink this,” Jessica murmured, holding a cup up to Tiffany’s lips. Obediently, Tiffany parted her lips and swallowed the sweet liquid that flooded into her mouth- apple juice, she realized at some point.

    Then the cup was taken away and Tiffany allowed Jessica to maneuver her so that she was lying length-wise on the couch, her head on a pillow and a blanket covering her body. She wanted to say thank you, but she found her consciousness slipping away as comfortable sleep clouded her mind and she was out before she could even think of opening her mouth to speak the words.

---

    Tiffany cracked her eyes open, taking a moment to process where she was and what day it was before she remembered that it was Friday still (probably?) and that she was on the couch in the living room after Jessica had bitten her.

    Shifting, she reached up and felt her neck where Jessica had sunk her teeth into earlier, and while it was a bit tender to the touch, she couldn’t feel any sign that the skin had broken with the pads of her fingers.

    “How are you feeling?” she heard and she struggled to sit up, seeing Jessica in the arm chair with a book in her lap and a concerned look on her face.

    “I’m okay, just a bit drowsy still,” she replied, voice thick with sleep, “How long did I sleep?”

    “Just over an hour,” Jessica told her, glancing at her watch, “It’s 10:30 now.”

    Tiffany nodded, trying to fully absorb what had happened- the fact that she’d actually been bitten by a vampire was still rather hard to believe despite the fact that she’d just recently experienced it. But she was also feeling relieved; she could do this. It wasn’t a big deal and it really did only hurt for a second or two.

    It was a big weight off her shoulders to know that being bitten once a week wasn’t something that she’d have to dread. And it was almost pleasant in a way.

    Jessica smiled at her, eyes crinkling into crescents, “Want to watch a movie?”

    “Sure,” Tiffany smiled back, feeling completely relaxed and at peace like she had nothing in the world to worry about. Even though her literature book sat, forgotten, on the coffee table. And even though she never thought that she could possibly feel so content to sit in the presence of a vampire.

    But it seemed that she’d been being surprised quite a bit recently, so she just sat back and made room on the couch for Jessica, smiling as the opening credits rolled.

---

    “Bug bug bug bug bug!” Tiffany shrieked, stepping backwards out of her bedroom.

    “What’s going on?” Jessica asked, coming out of her room rubbing her eyes and looking groggy.

    “There’s a spider,” Tiffany whimpered, scrambling behind the other girl and grasping onto her waist.

    “Well I don’t like bugs either,” Jessica whined, wrinkling her nose and scowling.

    “Kill it,” Tiffany pleaded, face pressed against Jessica’s back.

    Jessica sighed, stepping into the room and plucking a tissue out of the box on Tiffany’s bedside table.

    “Where?” she asked, glancing warily around.

    “On the wall by my desk,” Tiffany pointed, seeming to shrink into herself as she held on to the door frame, observing Jessica as she carefully stepped toward the wall in question. Bending over, Jessica carefully lowered the tissue onto the bug, a look of distaste on her face all the while.

    When she was sure that it was trapped under the tissue, she pressed down, squishing it as Tiffany squeaked as though it was her who was killing the bug.

    “Is it dead?” she asked, watching warily as the other girl wiped the bug guts off the wall.

    “Yes,” Jessica declared, walking past Tiffany to flush the tissue and dead insect down the toilet.

    “Thank you, Jessi,” Tiffany exclaimed, clinging to Jessica even as the other girl muttered about how Tiffany owed her.

    It had been a couple of weeks since the first feeding and the two girls had gotten much closer. Now that they’d been living together for several weeks, they’d become very comfortable around one another. And Tiffany didn’t know if she was imagining it, but she felt that, with each bite, the two of them were drawn closer together. Like the activity was intimate enough to build up the trust between them.

    Regardless, the feedings were no longer something that Tiffany dreaded and worried about. In fact, she’d even come to look forward in a way that she couldn’t explain nor verbalize. There was just something so endorphin-inducing yet comforting about Jessica drawing from her and getting strength from her very own blood. Though she never mentioned it to Jessica, mostly because she wasn’t sure whether it was a normal reaction, but also because she couldn’t even make sense of it herself.

---

    “Ready?” Jessica asked, hands on Tiffany’s shoulder and mouth poised above her pulse point.

    Tiffany hummed in confirmation, finding that her voice has escaped her for reasons that she was not entirely aware of. All she knew was that, this time, she could practically feel her blood thrumming in anticipation as she felt a fluttering sensation in her stomach. And when Jessica’s teeth pierced the skin of her neck, the usual sting was over-shadowed completely by the rush of satisfaction that flooded through her body.

    Jessica sucked lightly against her neck, lips resting gently against the sensitive flesh as blood flowed out of Tiffany’s veins and into Jessica’s mouth. Tiffany was well-aware of the macabre nature of the activity despite her acceptance of it into her life. But she’d never felt quite like this when Jessica was feeding before- like all of her nerve-endings were on high alert and as though she could feel the pulse of blood in every inch of her body.

    Tiffany gripped her own thighs tightly in order to stay still, breath coming out in little puffs. And even through the haze of sensations overwhelming her, she was taken back to the day when she had researched what being bitten was like and she’d read accounts from people who said that it brought on a very particular sensation: arousal.

    As much as she didn’t want to admit it, that’s what she was feeling. With every drop of blood that entered Jessica’s mouth, the more Tiffany could feel her senses burning with need. The sensitivity of her body made each tiny movement of Jessica’s hand against her shoulder feel like a caress.

    Squeezing her eyes shut, Tiffany forced her breathing to slow down. Even if this physical reaction was apparently somewhat normal, that didn’t make it okay. Not in her current situation. She was Jessica’s roommate- they were just friends and they had never even spoken of sex. It seemed that sex wasn’t something that Jessica desired along with feeding. And Tiffany didn’t even know if Jessica liked girls in that way. Hell, she didn’t even know if she liked girls in that way.

    All too soon and yet fortunately before Tiffany went crazy, Jessica pulled back and got up to retrieve juice from the kitchen just like she always did. But Tiffany still felt like her body was on fire even though Jessica was no longer feeding from her. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to calm down before Jessica came back lest she suspect that something was weird.

    And even though she fell asleep after drinking the juice down just like she always did, her sleep wasn’t dreamless- rather she was plagued by dreams of skin and teeth and lips and the incessant and uncontrollable need to come as she rubbed against the phantom figure in her mind. Who looked suspiciously similar to Jessica.

---

     Although Tiffany tried her best not to think about the way that Jessica’s bite had affected her the night before, it was hard to forget the intense sensations. It was hard to look at Jessica’s mouth when she was talking and not remember how it had felt against her neck. But she tried to act normally. She really didn’t want her sudden uncontrollable lust to ruin the friendship that had grown between them over the past few weeks.

    “I’m cold,” Jessica whined, plopping down onto the couch next to Tiffany and effectively pulling her attention away from the book she was reading for school.

    “I’m okay,” Tiffany shrugged. Though she was in jeans while Jessica’s long slender legs were bare due to her tiny sweat shorts.

    “You’re warm,” Jessica mumbled, pressing against Tiffany’s side and hooking her pointy chin over her shoulder.

    Tiffany shifted, trying not to notice the way Jessica’s breath ghosted against her neck as she peered at the book in Tiffany’s hands.

    And so it went- Jessica acted as she always had and Tiffany fought against her body’s reaction to the other girl. It was like the previous feeding had opened up Pandora’s Box and she was powerless to shut the lid on the feelings that were blossoming in her.

    But what feelings were they exactly? Lust, certainly. But then there was the fact that she’d begun to notice that her heart leapt up into her throat when Jessica smiled at her. And then there was the way that she would sometimes have the undeniable urge to pull Jessica into a hug that was void of any potential sexual tension.

    She was beginning to feel like she was falling for her roommate. Which was most definitely a big problem considering she was fairly certain that Jessica had only platonic feelings for her in return.  

    And then there was always the possibility that her mind had confused the emotions of desire with genuine affection and all she actually wanted from the other girl was a meaningless fuck. It almost made her want to call up Zhou Mi and ask him how he knew that he had really fallen for Kyuhyun and that it wasn’t just his body’s reaction to the bite that he was feeling. But since she knew that she really did at least have friendly affection for Jessica, it was unlikely that her heart was lying to her.

    Tiffany stared at the white ceiling above her bed, feeling a sense of relief at admitting it and a stronger sense of dread at just what that meant for their current situation. She knew that she couldn’t do anything- that was out of the question. Though she also knew that trying to act as though everything was as it was before- especially when Jessica had to feed next- would be extremely difficult.

---

    Tiffany’s heart was already pounding when Jessica sidled up to her the couch that Sunday night, smiling innocently as though this were any other Sunday. And technically, it was any other Sunday. Except that Tiffany could feel the blood practically boiling in her veins in anticipation.

    “Ready?” Jessica asked, as she always did, but this time her voice sent shivers shooting up her spine.

    It was all Tiffany could not to whimper in response, that realization making her cheeks flame in embarrassment. Instead, she just nodded minutely, leaning against the back of the couch and running through the lyrics of all of Sungmin’s songs that Sunny was always playing. Anything to keep her mind off of Jessica’s breath hot against her pulse point and her lips dragging just slightly over the flesh as she searched for the perfect spot to bite down.

    Tiffany sucked in a breath and tried to keep her head from spinning with lust. She didn’t know if her body was actually reacting so strongly to Jessica’s presence- as though it knew what was about to happen- or if it was her mind at work; anticipating what Jessica was going to do and getting herself all worked up. She couldn’t be sure. But the first touch of Jessica’s incisors had her snapping like she never would have expected.

    Before she even realized what was happening, she had Jessica pinned to the couch- their lips centimeters apart.

    “What?” Jessica gasped, eyes wide and questioning as she shifted under Tiffany and doing nothing to lessen the need spreading through her.

    “I’m sorry,” Tiffany breathed before she slammed their lips together, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss immediately.

    It wasn’t like her. It wasn’t like her to just make the first move like this. If “first move” was even the correct term for what had just happened, which she was pretty sure it wasn’t. Because making the first move usually entailed holding hands or a sweet confession. Or maybe even a peck on the lips.

    So she was fairly certain that pouncing on her roommate and practically devouring her (the irony of that didn’t escape her) was not in any way normal. And it was very unlike anything that she would ever think to do.

    Yet now that her mouth was fused with Jessica’s and their bodies were flush against one another, Tiffany was beyond caring that what she was doing was most likely completely inappropriate. All that mattered was that Jessica was responding to the kiss and that her hands had somehow managed to tangle themselves in Tiffany’s dark, wavy hair.

    With remarkable grace, Jessica flipped their positions and divested Tiffany of her shirt- the cool air a relief on her hot skin- before leaning back down and running her tongue along the pale column of Tiffany’s neck. The gesture seemed to immediately remind both of them what had actually sparked this in the first place- Jessica’s lips latching on to the sensitive flesh and sucking gently without breaking the skin as Tiffany arched beneath her, shivering with need.

    Jessica’s hand found its way between Tiffany’s thighs, pushing up under her skirt and pressing against the crotch of her panties. Tiffany gasped, arching into the touch and whimpering when the other girl began to rub her through the thin cotton. And even though Jessica wasn’t even touching her directly and even though she’d just started, Tiffany could feel the heat pooling in her stomach and her muscles clenching with her imminent release.

    Before she could even process the movement that the other girl made, Tiffany felt Jessica’s teeth sink into her neck- her blood seemingly eagerly flowing into Jessica’s mouth. And though Tiffany had come to enjoy the sensations that came along with being bitten, the dramatic spike in her arousal caught her by surprise. Not five seconds into the feeding, Tiffany was releasing against Jessica’s hand as she rubbed her through her underwear- the orgasm so intense that her vision turned bright, blinding white before abruptly going black as she felt her consciousness slip away- the pleasure still thrumming through her veins.

---

    The feeling of exhaustion that assailed her when she cracked her eyes open was a familiar one to Tiffany. The feeling of slightly damp panties and a nearly bare torso, however, was not.

    It took her a moment, but soon everything that had just happened crashed through her brain and left her almost paralyzed with embarrassment.

    She was still on the couch in the living room and the lights were still on, just as they usually were when she woke up after a feeding. The afghan that Jessica always covered her with was keeping her warm and she had the distinct sense that she wasn’t alone. All things considered, it was a pretty good bet to say that Jessica was sitting in the arm chair just as she always was, waiting for Tiffany to wake up.

    Normally, the fact that Jessica sat with her and was there when she came to brought a fuzzy kind of warmth to Tiffany’s chest, but now she would have preferred to wake up to an empty room- or an empty apartment even- just so she didn’t have to face Jessica so soon after what had happened.

    “You should drink this,” came the voice of Jessica from her usual place in the arm chair. And it shouldn’t have startled Tiffany, but it did anyway, making her jump just slightly before she sat up- afghan clutched to her chest- and turned to face Jessica who was unsurprisingly, holding a cup of juice.

    Tiffany nodded, feeling her cheeks heat under Jessica’s gaze as she reached out to take the plastic cup, drinking it down as quickly as she could.

    “I’m…I’m really tired. I’m gonna go to bed,” Tiffany said, not making eye contact and reaching down to pick up her shirt from where it had been hastily discarded on the rug.

    “Okay,” Jessica replied, a hesitance in her voice that Tiffany hadn’t heard since the former had originally explained to Tiffany that she was a vampire. But she didn’t spend any time thinking about why, slipping her shirt over her head and quickly making her way to her room with just a quick goodnight uttered over her shoulder.

    Maybe everything would come together in the morning.

---

    By the time Tiffany had gotten up the courage to leave the safe confines of her bedroom to go and get a granola bar from the kitchen, she had run through the sequence of events from the night before twice and attempted to analyze Jessica’s behavior against her own to the point where she thought she was going to go crazy. And the only thing that she had come up with for absolute certain was the fact that she definitely had to bad for Jessica. Because, even without the heat that had consumed her the night before, she still felt an intense attraction to the other girl. And, more than that, she was craving Jessica’s company even though the thought of facing the other girl was completely terrifying.

    So she steeled herself for an awkward confrontation as she exited her room only to find the living room and kitchen completely empty. Of course that wasn’t completely unprecedented. It wasn’t uncommon for Jessica to sleep in or for her to wake up early and then go back to bed for a morning nap. So Tiffany tiptoed to her bedroom only to find the door wide open and sunlight streaming into the empty room. That was strange.

    Upon arriving back in the kitchen, Tiffany spotted a pink piece of paper on the counter that she had missed before.

    Tiffany,

     I went to visit a friend in the next town over. I’ll be back later this evening.

    Jessica

    Tiffany frowned, trying to remember if Jessica had mentioned visiting a friend and being gone all day the day before. But she was sure that she hadn’t and she was almost positive that Jessica would have told her beforehand if she had been planning on going. Which meant one thing: Jessica was avoiding her.

    She slumped against the kitchen counter, letting the note drop, and sighed. What did it mean that Jessica was avoiding her? Nothing good, she decided. Jessica wouldn’t have left if she’d been okay with what had happened the night before.

    She must be completely disgusted and uncomfortable, Tiffany thought, feeling completely hopeless. She wished that she could go back in time and stop herself from giving in to her desires. But she knew that wishing something like that was pointless, so she wished instead that Jessica would come home so she could apologize and maybe they could put this all behind them.

    That is, if Jessica didn’t want her to move out now. Tiffany let out a frustrated groan, hoping that it wouldn’t come to that and not even because she didn’t have anywhere else to live. She had come to love living with Jessica. And even if the other girl only saw her as a friend, having her as a friend was better than nothing. She could only hope that Jessica would forgive her.

    Of course, by the time afternoon rolled around, Tiffany had driven herself completely insane with the what if’s and she knew that she was bound to lose it completely if she kept torturing herself. So she booted up her laptop and pulled up Skype, almost wanting to cheer in relief when she saw that Sunny was signed in. She hastily called the other girl and waited eagerly for her to pick up.

    “Fany!” Sunny exclaimed as her pixelated image formed on the screen in front of Tiffany, “I miss you!”

    “I miss you too,” Tiffany pouted, blowing her friend and air kiss, “How’s Paris?”

    “It’s amazing!” Sunny gushed, “The food is delicious and the shopping is unbelievable! It’s kind of dirtier than I thought it would be, but it’s hard to complain when the coffee literally tastes like heaven.”

    Tiffany smiled, already feeling better now that she was talking to Sunny.

    “I’m so glad,” she grinned.

    “How are things with you and Jessica?”

    “Um…” Tiffany’s smile faltered, “Okay?”

    “What happened?” Sunny asked, immediately concerned, “I thought the bites were okay.”

    “They are,” Tiffany assured her, “Well, I mean…remember when I told you about when I researched what it’s like to get bitten by a vampire?”

    “Yeah.”

    “Remember how I mentioned that some people experienced…arousal from the bites?” Tiffany asked, feeling her cheeks flush.

    “Yeah…”

    “Well…it was fine until last week. But then…” Tiffany broke off and buried her face in her hands.

    “You mean her biting you turned you on?” Sunny asked, at once surprised and intrigued.

    Tiffany nodded.

    “Did you tell her?”

    “No! Of course not!” Tiffany exclaimed, scandalized until she realized that she’d done something even worse, “But…last night….I kind of…kissed her right before she was going to feed. And then….”

    “Then what?” Sunny demanded, gaping.

    “We….kind of hooked up?”

    “Define hooked up.”

    “Do I have to?” Tiffany whined, feeling like she might actually die of embarrassment and shame at this point.

    “Yes,” Sunny said matter-of-factly. So Tiffany sighed and relented, telling her everything.

    When she had finished, including the part about how Jessica had taken off for the day, Sunny looked completely shocked.

    “Wow,” she muttered.

    “Yep,” Tiffany groaned, burying her face in her hands for what felt like the twelfth time that morning.

    “So what are you going to say when she gets home?” Sunny asked.

    “I’m just going to apologize and hope that she doesn’t kick me out,” Tiffany lamented, voice muffled by her palms.

    “That’s it?” Sunny asked, seemingly surprised.

    “Yeah? What else would I say?” Tiffany asked, confused.

    “You’re not going to tell her how you feel?”

    “No!” Tiffany gasped, scandalized.

    “Why not?” Sunny demanded.

    “She’s obviously already feeling awkward. I don’t think any love confessions are going to help,” Tiffany pointed out, feeling her spirit sink at the thought of Jessica looking at her in distaste in response to admitting her feelings.

    “Just because she feels awkward doesn’t mean that she doesn’t return your feelings,” Sunny reasonably argued, “You feel awkward and you’re crazy about her.”

    “Yeah, but…”

    “No buts. You’re going to tell her.”

    “How are you even going to know if I do or not?” Tiffany scowled, feeling her stomach tie itself in knots at the thought of confessing.

    “I’ll get a calling card and call the apartment to ask Jessica myself,” she said, “See if I don’t.”

    Tiffany sighed. She knew that Sunny actually would.

    “Fine.”

    “Good,” Sunny nodded, looking pleased with herself, “I need to go to class now, but you better follow through.”

    “I will,” Tiffany promised, bidding her friend goodbye and staring at the blank screen for another ten minutes.

---

    The sound of a key in the lock had Tiffany’s heart pounding with the knowledge that she was really about to do this.

    “Hi,” she said when Jessica stepped in, feeling like an idiot when she realized how obvious it was that she had been eagerly awaiting Jessica’s arrival, “How was your friend?”

    “Good,” Jessica replied cautiously, toeing off her shoes and smiling lightly.

    ”Um…I’m sorry about last night…for just…um…” she trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.

    “It’s okay,” Jessica replied immediately, her cheeks staining pink, “Sexual arousal is a common reaction to getting bitten.”

    “I know, but…” Tiffany paused, taking a deep breath and readying herself for her next statement, “It wasn’t just that. It wasn’t just arousal. I mean, it was that too, but…I like you.”

    Tiffany took a breath, looking at Jessica’s shocked face and willing herself not to just turn and run into her room.

    “I like you, Jessi,” she said again, more for her own benefit than Jessica’s, just so she’d know that she’d been clear.

    “Are you…are you sure?” Jessica finally asked, her face still the perfection expression of surprise, “It can be quite easy to misconstrue the feelings of lust from the bite as something els-”

    “I’m sure,” Tiffany cut in, preparing herself for Jessica to let her down easy.

    She was not, however, prepared for and armful of Jessica- a Jessica who was now kissing her with the enthusiasm of a child on their birthday. And Tiffany had never seen Jessica so enthusiastic in the time that she had known her.

    “Jessi?” she gasped when the other girl pulled back to stare into her eyes.

    “I like you too,” she smiled, suddenly looking unsure and self-conscious despite the fact that her fingers were still pressed firmly to the back of Tiffany’s neck.

    “You do?” Tiffany asked in disbelief, hands grasping onto Jessica’s tiny waist.

    “No, I just randomly kiss all of my roommates,” Jessica deadpanned, rolling her eyes, “Don’t be stupid.”

    And then her lips were pressed against Tiffany’s once again before the latter could even pout in response to Jessica’s sarcasm. But she supposed that kissing the blonde girl back was probably more important than sulking anyway.

    “I have a feeling next Sunday night will be very different,” Jessica murmured as she broke away to trail her lips suggestively over Tiffany’s throat.

    Tiffany shivered and felt Jessica smirk against her skin. This was definitely not the arrangement that she expected when she set out to find a new apartment. But she definitely couldn’t say that she was complaining.