“Is that an invitation?” Elaina asked in response to Robert’s question . She was dripping wet as if she had been standing in the rain for a while. I had the impression that she was outside when Annie was here. Did she realize that I was trying to get them back together?
“Of course, come on in,” Robert answered.
Elaina entered and her eyes went straight to me.
She gave me a long penetrating stare and I stared back matching her intensity. Although her eyes said it all, she didn’t say anything verbally. If Robert couldn’t see me, she had to pretend not to see me as well.
I could tell that my being there bothered Elaina a lot. If Robert ever became aware of my presence, she knew that I could warn him of her intentions.
She would have to work quickly.
Suddenly her face softened a little as she turned to stare at me yet again. I knew that she had a plan. “It won’t work,” I said to her.
She lifted one eyebrow in response as if to say, ‘oh really, just watch’.
“What brings you here? I didn’t even know you knew where I lived.”
“It’s not that hard to find out where anyone lives in this town,” Elaina answered.
“You’re soaking wet, can I get you a dry shirt or something?” Robert asked remembering his manners.
Elaina’s face changed. I don’t know if Robert noticed, but I could literally see each muscle twitch and soften until her expression was desperate. “I know this may sound strange since we don’t really know each other well…” Elaina paused as if she didn’t know how to go on.
She pretended to struggle with her words for a while before continuing, “…but my house is being renovated and I have no place to stay for a while.”
“Say nothing else,” Robert intercepted. “You’re welcomed to my guest room.”
Robert thought about what he had just offered. “That is…if you’re not afraid that I’m some type of psycho.”
“Believe me, I’m not afraid of you,” Elaina said with a slight chuckle.
It was ironic for Robert to even suggest that she would be afraid of him, especially when he was the one actually in danger.
“It’s you who should be afraid of me,” Elaina said, her seductive tone hid the truth in her words.
“Is that right?” Robert said showing that he had no clue of the danger he put himself in when he invited a vampire into the house.
One last chuckle and Elaina turned and began walking toward the guest room. “So is this where I’ll be staying?”
I raised my hand to stop her, but it was useless to object. She was invading my home and Robert had offered her the guest room…the only room I still had in the house that was mine.
As Robert began walking toward her, I took a chance. “Robert! Robert please, you cannot allow Elaina to stay here.”
Robert hesitated briefly and I prayed that he heard me.
I knew that he hadn’t when he followed Elaina into the guest room. “So this is where you’ll be staying. Hmm…I’m not sure why the bed is unmade,” Robert said observing the evidence that I had been staying in the room.
“The sheets should be clean, you’re the first to ever stay in this room,” Robert continued.
Elaina knew why the bed was unmade. The satisfied smug gave it away. She knew that taking my room would irritate me; the one way she knew that she could affect me directly.
“I’ll just make it up,” Robert said pulling and straightening the sheets on the bed.
I was sure that Elaina would have preferred that he changed the sheets after she realized that a ghost had been using the bed, but she was forced to hold her tongue. It wasn’t like she would actually use the bed to sleep anyway.
“I cannot begin to express how much I appreciate you for doing this,” Elaina said; her voice full of so much pseudo gratitude that I almost wanted to believe her.
“It’s no big deal. I have the room and you need it.”
“Yeah, but you know nothing about me. You’ve only seen me once and here I am staying at your house.”
Elaina moved toward Robert as if to give him a hug. Robert stopped her. “That won’t be necessary,” he said.
As smooth as a hot knife on butter, Elaina pushed his arms outward and squeezed herself between them; totally ignoring his objection.
“It may not be necessary, but I can at least hug the man who’s giving me a roof over my head for a few days.”
“It’s no problem…really,” Robert insisted. “And you don’t owe me anything,” he added.
“I’ll leave you to get settled,” Robert said leaving the room.
As I stood at the door listening , I realized that maybe Elaina’s hold on Robert wasn’t so strong after all. I considered that maybe Annie’s visit had some effect on Robert. I wasn’t sure, but I knew that Elaina had more convincing to do, which gave me a little more time to figure out what to do.
