James and Lavannia left the campus, and drove to an all-night diner near the campus. They unconsciously chose a table farthest from the few other patrons that were already there, and sat down. They were both parched from their nocturnal activities of earlier that evening in Dawson's office.
A waitress in her late 30s approached their table, and handed them each a menu. "Hey, folks. Coffee?"
"And a large water, please," Dawson responded.
"I'll also have a large water," added Lavannia, spinning the menu around to open it.
"You got it, be right back."
As the waitress walked away to retrieve their drink orders, Dawson pulled his menu close to him, and spun it in circles while it lay flat on the table. Lavannia looked up from her menu, and snipped, "Is that a religious, pre-meal ritual thing you're doing?"
James looked up at her, stopped and said, "No. Sorry. I come here from time to time. I know what I want."
"Oh." Lavannia paused, looked back at her menu, quickly made her decision, looked back up and asked, "Are you OK?"
"Yes, why?"
"You seem...put off or something."
"I'm fine."
Lavannia smiled a wicked smile. "You're nervous."
James stopped spinning the menu. "About what?"
"About being seen with me, maybe?"
"You're insane."
"A Goth gal in a late night diner with a guy who people would know is a college professor simply by looking at him, both of them looking like they just fucked each other sore. Which they did."
"Keep your voice down."
"What? Are you ashamed of doing me? Want me to stand up and shout it out?" She pressed her hands against the table, as if she were about to stand up and do just that. At that same moment, the waitress returned with their drinks. Unaware of the exchange, but that something was causing tension, the waitress placed their drinks on the table, and asked, "OK, whaddaya have?"
Smiling, Lavannia relaxed and focused her gaze on her new elder friend, who told the server, "Egg sandwich, mustard and tomato." Scribbling the order down on her notepad, the waitress turned her attention to Lavannia, still staring at James and smiling, her tongue on the corner of her mouth.
"Can I get a waffle?"
"Done. Be right out, folks."
James was not amused. "You would have done it."
"Maybe. I wasn't in the mood, plus I would have knocked the waitress over getting out of the booth."
James took a sip of his coffee. He made a hand motion toward Lavannia and asked, "So what is all this?"
"What, my outfit?", she asked. James nodded. "I love the look. Honestly, I'm not a true goth gal. I mean, I dress the part, but I'm not fascinated by death or sadness or anything like that. I like the freedom that the movement offers, but as a lifestyle, it's not me. I mean, there are certain elements of it I like. Vampires are interesting to me." She reached into her purse, and retrieved a pair of faux vampire fangs. She placed them into her mouth, and smiled, revealing the sharpened teeth to him.
"Aren't those uncomfortable?"
"Nope," she said, removing them. "They're molded to my own teeth. Very comfortable, as a matter of fact."
"And what, exactly, does one do with a pair of custom molded vampire teeth?" James answer was facetious, but genuinely curious.
"Wear them to parties, clubs...they have other uses, too." She grinned to herself as she put them back in their case, and back into her purse.
"So...do you believe that you're a vampire?" James approached the question somewhere between caution and sarcasm.
"No. I love the night. The darkness makes me feel like I belong to something. It's like a lover that you want and can never truly have, yet it's always there for you. I prefer the night, but I don't think I need human blood for sustenance or anything like that."
"I thought the Goth crowd had a hunger and fascination for death."
"Some do. Some are just going through the motions. Personally, I don't think most of them are really fascinated with it. I think they say they are because that's what they feel like they're supposed to say. They're playing the part, that's all. Some people call them 'poseurs'; I call them 'people still seeking out who they really are'. Seems like a fair label."
"Not everything needs to have a label, though."
"TouchΓ©."
James took another sip of his coffee, and Lavannia took a large drink from her water glass. He began looking at the scant number of patrons scattered across the restaurant, while she stared at him, organizing her thoughts for her next statement.
"I need to say something," she began. "I am not a slut. I am not a whore. You need to know that. I've never offered to anyone else what I've offered to and agreed to with you. I love sex. I love having it, and I love watching it. I always have, and hope I always will. I have every intention on living up to my end of the deal with you, James, but you need to know that I expect to be treated with respect, particularly outside of the bedroom. I'm not asking you to treat me like I'm your wife, but I'd hope that you'll treat me like I'm an actual person. OK?"
James sat clutching his water glass. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "OK. Why did you say that?"