It was just past midnight when Louis found himself in a certain dimly lit area of New Orleans again. The usual hustle and bustle of the vibrant city was still audible but somehow muted in this side street. Only a few lamps illuminated the surroundings and only the occasional drunkard appeared who had lost their way. Or people who were looking for something – or someone – very specific. Just as Louis did.

It didn’t take him long to spot the familiar figure. Same street, same lamp, same spot as last time. Had it really been a year? It felt like only yesterday that he left the slender figure propped up against the wall in the gap between those two houses over there. Louis kept in the shadows for the moment, watching. The figure was pacing up and down the pavement, nervously sucking on his cigarette, head bent down and his eyes on the concrete. He hadn’t changed much. His black hair was a bit longer than last time, and his skinny jeans were a bit worse for wear, but he was still lean and fidgety.

Had he been working out? Louis thought he could see the hint of muscles in his upper torso, which he was showing off with a tight black tank top. Louis leaned against a wall of a building next to him, enjoying the position of a voyeur. The young man on the other side of the street pulled out his mobile phone and started scrolling aimlessly through a social media app. He was bored, trying to pass the time. He longed to go home, to his sister’s – Josie – and hoped for a warm meal there, but at the same time, he was apprehensive of her worried looks and the scolding of his lifestyle. Louis could relate.

He stepped out of the shadows, and the movement made Wendell look up from his phone.

“Hello, Wendell,” Louis said softly.

Wendell, the young hustler, shifted uncomfortably and looked up and down the street. “Ain’t I told you last time not to use that name ’round here?” But as recognition spread across his face, a smile came with it.

“Sorry,” Louis apologised. “It’s still Remy, then?”

“Nah, it’s all good. My best payin’ customer can call me whatever they wanna, ya know?” Wendell allowed with a generous grin.

“Still hustling then?” Louis asked.

“Still blood-suckin’ then?” Wendell retorted, mocking Louis’ tone.

Louis closed the space between them in a flash and startled Wendell as he suddenly appeared next to him. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit them using the Fire Gift. He handed Wendell one of them, who only then realised that his own had gone out.

“Huh. That’s a new one”, he commented, whistling appreciatively. For a moment they just stood there, smoking.

Wendell was the first to break the silence between them. “That was a real generous tip you left me last time.”

Louis shrugged. It had been nothing. “See it as a late birthday gift. What did you do with it?” He tilted his head slightly and observed the younger man. “You bought Sophia – your niece? – the doll she’s wanted for months. And you helped Josie, your sister, buy a car?”

This time it was Wendell’s time to shrug. “I was tryin’ to buy her a car so she wouldn’t have to spend half the day on that damn bus and could spend more time with Soso. But hell, it wasn’t enough. She hated takin’ it from me, knowin’ what I gotta do to make it.” He saw Louis frowning and quickly added, “I ain’t tell her ’bout the blood, though. That’s just too fuckin’ weird. But she knows, well… suspects… about…” he paused. “You know…” Suddenly feeling awkward, he looked down at his sneakers.

Louis nodded. Sisters never needed telling; they always knew. “So is this a subtle hint I should pay you more next time?” he laughed.

Wendell shot him an inquisitive look: “Is this what you here for, then? Another snack?” He subconsciously scratched his neck, where Louis’ teeth had pierced his skin on their last encounter. No visible marks were left – Louis had made sure of that – but the memory remained. “Or maybe somethin’ else this time? I wouldn’t mind.” He winked at Louis suggestively. But there was something else showing on his face, barely noticeable except perhaps for the observant vampire. He’d been hurt. Not too recently. The physical evidence had healed, but just like the injuries Louis had caused him, the memory hadn’t gone away.

Louis shook his head. “No… sorry. Neither, actually.” Wendell seemed disappointed, and Louis could tell it wasn’t only about the prospect of a large sum of money that had just evaporated into thin air. “No, I’ve come here because there’s someone who’d like to make your acquaintance.”

“Oh, really?” Wendell raised an eyebrow. “And who might that be?”

“My husband.” Louis simply said.

“Husband, eh?” Wendell whistled. He took another long drag from his cigarette, puffing out the smoke in lazy circles.

“You know, last time, when I woke up back there.” He nodded towards the gap between the houses. “Vomit and blood down my shirt, my throat all dry like the desert. Man, I ain’t never felt nothin’ like that before. Felt like I was floatin’ outside my own damn body.” He drew on his cigarette, leaning back. “It’s like… you don’t really know what it feels like to be alive till you feel yourself almost not be anymore.”

He gave Louis a long-levelled look. When the vampire remained still and silent, Wendell flicked the butt in the street. “I crawled back to my boy’s house. Was too embarrassed to go home at first. When I finally did, a couple days later, Josie damn near chewed me out. She thought I was on drugs.” He stared at Louis: “I don’t do no drugs. Little weed sometimes, but not that other shit.”

“Anyway… Josie let me stay. She nursed me back like a damn champ. So there I was. Back in my old room, all that old junk I used to collect as a kid. Couple baseball cards, my Luke Cage action figure Josie got me for my 5th birthday, and a poster of my favourite band. The Vampire Lestat.” He didn’t break eye contact with Louis, watching his every reaction. “Found a few old newspaper clippings. One of ’em had some blurry pics. A couple of paps had followed Lestat into a club and caught him makin’ out with some dude on the dance floor.”

“Whole fandom was losin’ it; everyone mad jealous of the guy.” He paused again, pondering his next words, and kicked some dirt down the drain. “I thought it was…” he shrugged. “Kinda hot? I always knew I liked guys, and there’s my favourite singer gettin’ hot and heavy with a dude that looked like… me? Shit, I was all in.”

He looked back up at Louis again and caught a flash of reminiscence on the other man’s face. “That guy was you, wasn’t it?”

When Louis didn’t reply, Wendell went on, “So when you say husband, you don’t mean…” Louis’ enigmatic smile was all Wendell needed as confirmation.

Wendell whooped and turned around on the spot: “Man… that is wild!” He ruffled his hair with his fingers. “That mean my teen idol’s husband sucked me off?” He guffawed. “Somebody call the newspaper, ‘cause this is headline material!”

Louis laughed, “I have a car waiting around the corner.” Louis indicated the direction with a wave of his hand. “And we’ll make it worth your while. Vampire promise.”

Wendell continued to stare at Louis in disbelief. He gazed between the vampire and the car parked in the distance. A slight tremor ran across his body, and he tried to shake it off.

“Alright… But you better make damn sure you get me back to Josie in one piece, or she gon’ have your balls.”

Louis snorted: “Don’t worry. No harm will come to you. And I should introduce you to my friend Daniel. He’d be very impressed.”