The vampire in the corner office

Eleven things and counting

The list grew.

1. Cold hands. Like, unnaturally cold. Shook his hand once, thought I touched a doorknob in winter.

2. Never eats. NEVER. Not even the good donuts.

3. Works 8pm–4am like it's normal. Sleeps through actual daylight meetings sometimes.

4. No photos of him ANYWHERE online past like eight years ago. Company website uses a painted portrait. A PAINTING. Who does that.

5. Heals insanely fast — saw him slice his hand on a broken picture frame Tuesday, no mark by Wednesday.

6. Knows things he shouldn't. Referenced a conversation I had with Grace in my apartment. My APARTMENT.

7. Hates mirrors. Office has none. Elevator mirror — always stands facing away.

8. Blood thing (see: Day One, incident, never speak of again).

9. Paper cut thing. Gets weird every time. WEIRD.

10. Marcus (security guy) acts like Adrian is... dangerous? Overprotective in a way that isn't normal boss-bodyguard stuff.

11. Sometimes when he thinks I'm not looking, he looks like he's a thousand years old and incredibly tired.

Mia stared at entry eleven longer than the others.

Because that was the thing nobody warned her about. Underneath the ice, underneath the impossible eyes and the short temper and the coffee he apparently drank purely for the ritual of it — there was something sad in him. Something that looked out at the city from his glass office like it was watching something that had already ended.

She caught him doing it on a Thursday, rain sluicing down the windows, the whole skyline smeared gray and gold.

"You always look like that when it storms," she said, setting a folder on his desk.

"Like what?"

"Like you're waiting for someone who isn't coming."

Adrian's hand, resting on his desk, curled slowly into a fist.

"Get back to work, Ms. Bennett."

"Copy that." She turned to go, then — because apparently she had a death wish — stopped in the doorway. "For what it's worth. Whoever it is. I hope they know you still wait."

She didn't wait for a response. She didn't see the way he stared after her for a long, long moment, something in his expression cracking open like it hadn't in years.