Cesar pulled the door open just enough to lean against the frame. One hand rested above his head, fingers tapping idly. He was smirking, like he knew this was about to happen.
“Should I make you a key?” he asked.
Gene rocked back on his heels. “No, that’s not necessary.”
He didn’t move. He knew better. Or at least he thought he did, but then he hadn’t thought he was heading to Cesar’s in the first place. He thought he was taking a walk and looked up one moment to find himself in front of the shabby apartment building Cesar was staying in.
It was almost as bad as Gene’s old place, which made Gene wonder… weren’t vampires supposed to be rich? Was Cesar the exception, or was he merely slumming it? Was his Bohemian aesthetic a style choice or a thrifty one?
He might have told himself he was here to ask about that as he tailgated behind another resident and stepped onto the elevator, but once in front of the vampire, he lost track of any real purpose behind his visit. What could Cesar tell him that he didn’t already know? What could Cesar do to help him?
Cesar stepped aside like that was a favor. As an acknowledgment of Gene’s struggles that Gene did not like, but felt unable to argue with.
“I hope you have snacks,” Gene said.
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