Strictly Taboo(88)

“Welcome to the first class lounge, Mr. Holmes.” She said with a saccharin sweetness that made Francis’s nostrils flare. “We have a complimentary bar just back there in the corner with beverages and snacks. Please help yourself and if there is anything else that we can get you, please don't hesitate to ask myself of Anne.” Francis’s eyes widened as the name him his ears. Anne. What had he done? “Sir?” The woman at the front desk was staring at him. Francis nodded.

“Sure, yes. Thank you very much.” He said, once again elaborating the strength of his accent to excuse the strangeness of his behavior. The woman nodded gently and once again pointed to the bar on the far side of the room. Taking back his ticket from her, Francis walked straight towards the bar where he was pleasantly surprised with an array of small airport bottles of liquor. Had grabbed a few various bottles without particularly caring what they contained. He was just about to walk away, when a voice came from behind him.

“Not a fan of flying, huh?” Francis turned around to find a young woman standing behind him. Her long dark hair was pulled back neatly in to a ponytail and her delightfully blue eyes flitted down to the bottles in his hands. Francis shrugged.

“Not a fan of anything at the moment.” He said flatly.

“Ahh, well that is a shame.” The woman said, blinking slowly, her thick eyelashes brushing her cheek.

“Why is that ‘a shame’?” He asked somewhat impatiently.

“Because I was going to try and make friends.” She grinned at him innocently and Francis saw a flash of Anne’s pale clammy face.

“That probably is not such a good idea.” Francis said as he gently brushed past her and found a seat in an empty section of the lounge. Undeterred by his rudeness, the woman followed him. He lifted his eyes to her briefly before setting the airport bottles in his lap and unscrewing the top from one. He swallowed its entire contents in one mouthful.

“Now that was impressive.” The woman said, sitting in the seat directly across from him. “Bet you can't do that with the whiskey.” She flashed that grin again. Not one to back down from a challenge, Francis threw the empty bottle on the seat beside him and picked up a bottle full of whiskey. He held it up for her to see, unscrewed the cap and once again he swallowed its entire contents in one deep gulp. “Wow…I guess you showed me, huh?” Francis threw the second empty bottle on the chair beside him and offered a full bottle to the woman. Taking it she unscrewed the top and held the bottle up to him. “Noroc!” She said before taking a sip.

“You are from Romania?” He asked, frowning. The woman took another small sip from the bottle, winced and then shook her head.

“No, but I studied Romanian. In fact I'm heading to Bucharest today to begin a year of studying at the university.” The woman shared so freely of herself that Francis couldn't help but respond.

“I also am heading to Bucharest.” He said, unscrewing the cap of his last airport bottle. “But that is not the end of my travel. I must then go to Bran.” He took a drink from the bottle, this time leaving it half full.

“Ahh, then you must know a lot about the history of Vlad the Impaler?” The woman asked, intrigue flashing in her eyes. Francis shrugged.

“I know a little.” He said, being purposefully evasive. After the past couple of days, he wasn't looking to get in to any conversation that centered on vampires. The woman nodded.

“I imagine it would be very frustrating to have people ask you that all the time,” she took another sip from her bottle. “I'm sorry. I just find all cultural history of Romania to be so fascinating!” As she said this, Francis noticed something in the way she spoke about his homeland. Whenever she mentioned it, it was as though her entire body came to life when it had otherwise been sleeping. Francis smiled at her, momentarily forgetting the events of the day.

“To be truthful, not many people are knowledgable of Bran. It is Transylvania they know and Dracula!” Francis emphasized the word Dracula and the young woman laughed.

“Well, it just so happens that I'm not like many other people.” The woman said. Francis finished off his last bottle and threw it on the chair beside him.

“Then, I am very glad to be meeting you. I am Francis.” He extended his hand and the young woman took it and shook it firmly.

“I'm Rosa.” She said before grabbing the cap of her bottle and moving to the seat on the other side of Francis. She leaned in to him. “So, what were you doing here in New York?” She asked. Francis scratched his neck as he tried to think of a plausible excuse.