It's strange, that day I woke up from a nightmare, and that never happened to me before. The worst part was that the dream was so realistic… I was sweaty and scared, I was thirsty, so I went to the kitchen and poured myself some cold water. While I was sitting at the kitchen table, my sleepy roommate came in and said an effusive "hi," and after a moment she asked,
"How did you sleep?"
"I had a terrible dream. I dreamed of a very handsome boy, maybe even a man, brunette, green eyes, who was a vampire, trying to kiss me, and I thought he wanted to suck my blood. It's strange, but the nightmare was so realistic that I woke up.
"It's all because of your late-night horror movies, I'm telling you, that's why you have these nightmares," Dominika replied, making herself a sandwich.
"But it was so real, I felt like it was really happening." "I'm sorry," I said, and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth because I had to get to work on time.
"Listen, Eliza, it's just a dream. And in a dream, everything is too real, and besides, vampires don't exist, they're not among us, it's just some stupid legend made up by some idiot who wanted to make a buck.
" "Maybe you're right, but I still can't get over it," I replied, and got ready for work.
I worked at the stock exchange as a broker, so I didn't want to be late, and besides, I really wanted this job. I dressed elegantly as usual and headed to the bus stop. I still had two months of vacation, so I knew there would be no traffic jams on the buses or trams. After 30 minutes, I arrived and went into my office. I said hello to all my friends and started making myself a coffee. Suddenly, a colleague from work approached me and said,
"Someone's waiting for you in your office."
I was surprised because I didn't know anyone here well, and no one ever waited for me at work, unless it was the brokers of companies who invested their shares in the stock market. I finished making coffee and went to my room. When I walked in, I couldn't believe my eyes. The cup of caffeinated beverage fell from my hands as I saw the object of my dreams: a handsome brunette with green eyes, dressed in a black suit. I was so moved that I didn't even notice my cup floating gently through the air towards my desk.
"It's not worth wasting coffee," the stranger replied.
I stood frozen, unable to utter a single word. I knew perfectly well that this cup had been the work of a stranger, or the acquaintance from my dream.
"How did you do it?" I finally managed to say.
"Don't you know? You can do it too, or at least you used to...
" "I don't remember, and stop pulling these stupid illusions in my office. And if you're going to keep doing this, get out." I don't know you and I don't know what you want.
"You know me very well," the stranger replied in a sensitive voice.
"Listen, you must have confused me with someone else. I've never seen you in my life, not even at a party or at work, because you don't work here, do you?
" "Not yet, but everything can be arranged.
" "Leave, or I'll call security," I finally said. Something was pulling me towards the handsome man, though, and I had to hold it back, really, because the feeling of attraction was so strong.
"They wouldn't do anything to me anyway, but I'll leave. But don't think you'll never see me again, because at this point, you're dead wrong, Eliza."
After saying this, he opened the door and walked down the hall to the elevator. I saw him walking, determined and unabashed by the fact that all the girls at work were staring at him. When he stepped into the elevator, I saw him staring only at me. He smiled maliciously, waved his hand, and disappeared behind the closing doors. For a moment, I couldn't shake it. I closed the door and sat down at my desk, sipping my coffee. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door, and a moment later, my partner from work appeared.
"Hi Eli, can you tell me who that handsome guy was? Do you know him? Maybe we should focus on his stocks?" Weronika asked.
"He gave up investing in the stock market... and I don't know who he is.
" "Wow, he was so handsome. When he walked by, I thought all the girls would throw themselves at him.
" "I thought so too, now let's drop this topic and get to work. Because I think we have something to do today," I replied, wanting to forget about what had happened. I hoped I would succeed, but it didn't happen. Even work couldn't completely absorb me. I was a bit lost in thought and distracted, and at times I caught myself thinking about him. However, I quickly pushed it to the back of my mind and returned to work.
On my way home, I decided to go to a nearby pub for a glass of wine. I met Dominika there, which wasn't surprising, since she was always there.
"Hey, how was work?
" "Strange, you know..." I started, but Doma interrupted me, saying, "You have no idea how handsome the bartender is. He's wonderful.
" "I've had enough handsome men for today," I replied, sipping my wine. Dominika was having a great time in the lounge with our friends, and I sat and looked at the bottles of alcohol on the shelves. Suddenly, one of them floated slightly in the air, so only I noticed. I remembered my morning coffee and started looking around the lounge, but I didn't see anyone suspicious. I turned toward the bar and saw the stranger who had invaded my office that morning.
"Didn't I tell you you wouldn't get rid of me that easily?"
"What do you want from me? What have I ever done to you?" I asked, and again I felt a strange pull toward the handsome man. "Who are you exactly?"
"My name is Ernest, and you already know perfectly well who I am, Eliza.
" "How do you know my name?
" "I've known it for centuries; for centuries, there's only one name in my heart—Eliza.
" "You're sick and you should get treatment," I replied, and left the pub. I headed home, not feeling like having any more adventures that day. I thought about what Ernest had said, about how I knew perfectly well who he was. The only thing that came to mind was the vampire from my dream, but that was too improbable. I also wondered about this strange pull; it was quite a strong feeling, one that I had to put a lot of effort into stopping. That night, I couldn't sleep. I dreamed of a strange stranger again. This time, we were both walking through a beautiful garden, full of white roses. I didn't remember knowing this place before, but I was glad it wasn't one of my nightmares from the night before. I was woken by my alarm clock going off like crazy. I jumped to my feet and went to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and placed my toothbrush on the sink. I looked at it and thought it would be nice to have it back in its place. Then the small object began to float slightly and settled in the cup. I didn't know what to do. I was absolutely convinced it was the work of my persistent stranger, but when I entered the kitchen and thought about putting on the water and making myself some coffee, the kitchen utensils, as if by magic, began to do as I commanded. The kettle flew to the faucet and poured the water, and the coffee was spooned into the glass.
"It's impossible," I whispered to myself.
"What's impossible?" Dominika asked, entering the kitchen.
"Nothing, never mind," I replied, confused, and picked up the kettle, which was boiling water.
"I'm going to the bathroom. Could you make me some tea?
" "Yes, of course, no problem..." I rambled on, unsure what was happening.
When Doma closed the bathroom behind her, I made her tea, but this time in my old way, then ate breakfast and got dressed for work. I grabbed the necessary things and left.
Thirty minutes later I was at the stock exchange, where I knew from the moment I walked in that the director wanted me to his office. I didn't know what he was talking about, as I had nothing on my conscience anyway, so I knocked on my employer's door without any hesitation. I walked in and saw Mr. Parker at the large desk.
"Good morning, is something wrong?" I asked.
"Actually, yes, your coworker took a leave of absence because she wanted to rest for a while, so I decided to find someone else to help you. He's a very smart and educated man who would be happy to help you.
" "But I could have handled it myself; it really wasn't necessary.
" "It's just in case something doesn't work out for you or you're short on time," Parker replied, and after a moment added, "You can go now, he's waiting for you in the office."
Honestly, I didn't even suspect anything bad, but when I entered my workplace, I simply broke down. My secret admirer was sitting in my chair. I pretended not to be surprised and said,
"At least I know your name, but the question is, is it real?"
"I'm Ernest, and your name is real. Aren't you surprised to see me here?
" "No, I figured you'd probably do something like that after your last visit here," I replied, and sat down in the seat where Weronika always sat.
"You always sit here...
" "I know, but I don't feel like sitting in the lunatic's seat.
" "I'm not a lunatic, and you know it perfectly well. You saw that this morning," he replied with the utmost calmness in his voice.
"Nothing happened this morning; quite the opposite, it was just an ordinary day," I lied.
"Listen to me! You're my beloved, only you can resist my power to charm the opposite sex, it just doesn't work on you.
" "That doesn't prove anything; I have a strong psyche. Now, since you're my collaborator, get to work," I said, not wanting to continue the conversation with Ernest.
"I've already done everything I needed to talk to you. Your duties at the stock exchange are over for today; you won't find any way to get out of it," the handsome man replied. Then I felt that strange pull again. I wanted to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him, but my mind overcame my senses, and I started making myself some coffee.
"What the hell do you want from me???!!!" I shouted, my patience wearing thin.
"I want you to listen to me.
" "Then speak. I'm listening," I replied, and sat down in the armchair.
"You're a witch, and I'm a vampire. Hundreds of years ago, we fell in love, but our relationship couldn't work out. Our backgrounds were against it, so we secretly married and eloped, but we were found and sentenced to death. We died next to each other in each other's arms, we were buried next to each other, and white roses grew on our graves, which are still linked to this day.
" "A cool fairy tale, like 'Romeo and Juliet,' and the ending of 'Tristian and Isolde.' You can't fool me with fairy tales like that, I'm not stupid."
"But it's true. And how do you explain this morning? First the toothbrush, then the kettle and coffee... your power awakens because your soul feels right next to mine, but you don't want to know it, you don't want to remember the feeling that once connected us.
" "Listen, I already told you you should get treatment. I'll give you the right number for a psychiatrist," I said, and started searching for the number. Suddenly, the stranger wrapped his arms around my waist and unexpectedly kissed me. I was angry, and after a moment, I slapped him.
"Don't ever do that again!!!" I screamed and ran out of the office.
Riding in the elevator, I heard in my head: "You slapped me too, the same way, at our first meeting."
I was fed up with everything, I was angry, but on the other hand, I knew there was some truth in what he was saying. What happened that morning didn't come out of nowhere.
That night, I couldn't sleep. That evening, Dominika tried to convince me to go to the pub with her, but I wasn't in the mood for fun. I was lying in bed, tossing and turning. Suddenly, I felt an incredible cold sensation. My window flew open with a loud bang, and a figure stood on the windowsill, a man in a black coat.
"Who are you?" I asked, terrified, but he didn't say a word. He came over to me, took me in his arms, and stood on the windowsill. I felt like he wanted to jump, but before I could say anything, we were already soaring over the buildings. I couldn't believe it; it was like a dream, so I decided to pinch myself.
"This isn't a dream," the stranger announced, as if reading my mind.
"Who are you?" I asked the question again, not even knowing what to do.
"I'm Ernest's friend, I helped you escape that time, and now I want to help him too, before he throws his life away for good."
An awkward silence fell, and a few minutes later we found ourselves at the cemetery. I saw two graves, each with white roses twined around them. I saw inscriptions on tombstones and old, worn-out photos. I began to examine them.
"Do you recognize him? It's you, and that's Ernest. He was telling the truth; it was probably you who lied about your powers.
Suddenly, I started remembering everything. I felt as if I was regaining my memory. Ernest really was my beloved from hundreds of years ago.
"Where is he now?" I asked, rising to my feet.
"He had three days to find you and make you remember everything; at midnight his time on Earth ends. The condition was that if he managed to find you, he could stay, and if not, he would return to the realm of the dead vampires forever.
" "Where is he? I have to find him!
" "In the old church tower, there he must throw himself down, and that will be the end.
" "It won't be the end, carry me to him if you are his friend, a true one."
Then the stranger took me in his arms again and we flew towards the old tower. The clock was striking midnight. When we were almost there, I saw Ernest , preparing to jump.
" Nooooo ... "You too," I replied, and then our lips met in a passionate kiss. We returned to my house. In my room, I saw a thousand white roses, their scent already wafting from the staircase. "It was a farewell gift for you, but now it's probably a gift for my beloved. I loved white roses hundreds of years ago, and now I do too, but not as much. They symbolize the delicate and spontaneous soul of a vampire, which, like a white rose, very clearly marks blood – the food of these creatures…"
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