And I thought my life was weird, thought Austin after reading a news story about a historian in Russia who was pulled out of a river along with a rucksack full of severed arms. The arms belonged to a former student.
Austin never had any students he disliked that much.
After kissing his girlfriend, who was still asleep, and would be sleeping all day, he wandered down to the local coffee shop. Inside at the back table his friend Aaron was reading and drinking his usual triple expresso.
Aaron glanced up. “Hey. I just ordered you something.”
Janet behind the counter called, “Austin, coconut latte, extra shot.”
Austin picked up his coffee and Janet smiled at him in a come hither way that almost made Austin’s face turn red.
Back at the table Aaron put down his book. “How are you Austin?”
“Good. I’m half way through the semester and haven’t lost any students yet. No failures. The graduate students are exceptionally delightful. Elizabeth is sleeping in my bed as we speak.”
“You’re back with Elizabeth?” Aaron looked surprised. “You know, you aren’t getting any younger.”
Austin looked at his friend. He used to look younger than Aaron and now he looked slightly older. Aaron was one of those guys who never aged, not surprising considering he was a 165 year old Vampire.
Aaron continued. “You turn forty in a few months. If you want to have a family you’d better find a nice woman in her thirties with a ticking biological time clock and settle down. Otherwise you’d might as well become one of us.”
“I hunt Vampires,” said Austin.
“Only the nasty ones we need to get rid of. You know, you could just quite that business and teach history full time.”
“Who would do your dirty work for you? Have you thought about that?”
Aaron shrugged. “You have a point there. Hey, did you hear about that guy in Russia they found in the river with a bag full of arms. I thought about you.”
Austin laughed out loud. Then he thought about the touch of Elizabeth’s cool mouth of his skin, and the fact that she’d read Jane Austin as a child, when the books were new. He thought about all the times he and Aaron had hunted down soulless rogue Vampires. He thought about the cold river and what kinds of things drive men mad. And after that split second of a million thoughts he said, “Great minds think alike.”
Aaron lifted his cup, “Here’s to us, brothers in arms.”
“Brothers in arms,” said Austin, as he reminded himself how normal his life actually was.
~ end
This has been another Austin and Elizabeth story. For more adventures click here.
~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman
2019 Nano Pablano Cheer Peppers.
Vampire Maman 
As normal as one can get with vampires for friends. 🙂