Chapter 15 – The Immortal’s Little Secret is Revealed

I woke up from a dreamless state famished and I wasn't able to ignore it anymore so I got out of the bed, pulling aside the covers to make my way downstairs. The loft was shrouded in darkness as I padded my way towards the kitchen, heading towards the refrigerator.

Opening the door, I was staring unseeingly ahead when I heard the passcode was being punched and the door was thrown open - bringing in a sliver of sunlight into the loft. Turning towards the door in confusion, I was not surprised to see Jiminie entering the apartment as quietly as he could.

"You're here early," I commented.

He let out a shout at my sudden comment and jumped in fright, as he wasn't expecting me to be up at this time and standing by the fridge door. "What are you doing there in the dark?" he demanded once he finally recovered. "Switch on the lights, why don't you?"

"It's still early," I grumbled.

"You scared me!"

"Baby, you're a scaredy cat."

"You're being mean, Alice!"

I chuckled. "Why don't you head upstairs first?" I suggested. "I'll be right there."

"Okay!"

As I watched him gallop away and climb up the stairs, I closed the refrigerator door and opened a hidden cabinet door - where I had inserted a mini fridge. It was filled with blood bags and I took one out, pouring the content down a black mug before placing the blood bag back inside.

I hear Jiminie climbing back down the stairs and towards the kitchen. "Oh, are you making coffee right now, Alice? Can I have some?" he asked excitedly as he brushed past me to grab a hold of the black mug.

"Jiminie, wait –"

I couldn't stop him in time. He had already taken a big mouthful of my drink. His eyes widened as he realised what he had drunk. I watched in trepidation as he set the glass back onto the marble counter and I turned incredulous when he swallowed it instead of spitting it out. A tense silence filled the air, and I wondered what his reaction would be.

"Is … is this blood?"

This is not how I'd tell him!

My plan is ruined!

"Don't panic," I said. "But it is."

He sucked in a deep breath and I waited for his reaction. Will he yell? Will he run away? I was nervous because I couldn't read the expression on his face. He looked at the glass for the longest time and then he looked over at me. He must've noticed how worried and concerned I looked because the strange expression disappeared from his face.

"So, my suspicions are correct after all," he said.

I blinked. "What?"

He closed the distance between us and held my hands in his. His warmth has never failed to make me feel better. "Your hands are always cold," he explained softly, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles on the back of my hands. "You barely ate. You barely sleep and you barely age. And you didn't think I'd never noticed these about you?"

"How long have you known this?" I asked quietly.

"Since I was in middle school," he explained. "After I read the Twilight book series."

Jaemin was right.

Shit, when was he wrong anyway? I got outed by fucking Twilight. This kid already knew long ago. Maybe ten years already? My mouth opened in surprise, not knowing what to say or do in this situation. I thought I had kept everything under control. To think he saw right through me was surprising and I felt embarrassed.

"I was kind of disappointed you didn't sparkle under the sun," he continued.

Is … is that a joke?

"And when you told me you owned those companies, I checked when they were established," he continued to explain. His hand brushed aside my fringe, cupping my cheek. "They didn't really mention who the owner was, but I knew you're not the type to lie. Alice, those companies have been around forever."

I sighed. "I should've just taken a job position in the university," I grumbled. "It'd be less obvious."

"It won't work because I already knew what you are," he pointed out.

"Aren't … aren't you afraid of me?" I asked.

"You've been the same Alice I knew for the past twenty years," he said with a fond smile. "There's nothing to be afraid of because I knew you would never hurt me."

"How did the blood taste like?"

He made a face. "How do you even drink that all the time?" he questioned.

"Not all the time," I said. "Enough to sustain me for a few months."

He blanched. "Why do you eat so little?" he asked.

I smiled. "I was being careful," I explained. "I thought I could accidentally break you. Sometimes I tend to forget that humans break easily."

He nods in understanding. "Is this why you keep calling me little one all the time?" he asked in awe. "How old are you anyway?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" I asked awkwardly.

He nods.

"Close to three thousand years old," I said.

He sucked in a sharp breath and let out a curse.

"Oh, I was there when he died though," I explained. "It was not a nice place to live in."

"Alice!"

I laughed, relieved that he took it so well despite fretting over it for years and ruffled his hair. I was glad that he took it in stride and accepted me for who I am without fear. Even though I had a plan to reveal my real identity, I guess this was better than him accidentally finding it out the harder and more painful way.

"Next time, if you see a glass filled with red liquid, don't drink from it," I said with a smile. "It's not gonna be red wine because I dislike the taste."

He pouted. "But I want to drink with you!"

"We did drink before, silly," I said. "Soju is fine. Or makgeolli."

"Is that okay?"

"Yeah."

.

"So…."

"So?"

"Jiminie found out what we are."

He guffawed into the phone. "I told you he'd find out!"

I felt embarrassed. "Can you stop it?" I asked. "I don't need more embarrassment from you."

"How did that happen?"

"He drank my mug thinking it to be coffee," I explained. "He took one sip of it, but he didn't panic. Then he started telling me he already knew what I was after he read the fucking twilight series. He said he was disappointed I didn't sparkle under the sun."

Jaemin guffawed again and wouldn't stop for another minute or two. Hearing my explanation had gotten him the tickles. I sighed as I waited for him to stop laughing at me. It was already aggravating as it is.

"Jaemin, stop fucking laughing!" I cried.

"You are so funny, my friend!"

"It's not! It's embarrassing! He compared us to those in the Twilight series!" I exclaimed. "We don't sparkle!"

"Why are you so worried about that?" Jaemin asked seriously as he finally stopped laughing. "Did he ask more about us?"

"He asked my age and he was surprised that we lived that long," I admitted. "I didn't want to unload too much information on him on the first day."

"Yeah, we'll get to that when he's ready."

"You think?"

"Hey, at least now you don't have to hide anymore," he offered.

"Bitch, I got outed by the Twilight series!"

He laughed again. "At least he still loves you!" he cried out. "Shut the fuck up! You're annoying!"

"Hey!"

"I'm hanging up!"

"The audacity!"

.

Since I was outed by a glass of blood, I felt that the burden on my shoulders were lifted and I felt lighter than I had been. It was because I knew Jiminie was fine with what I am that I could breathe easy. I spent the day with a spring to my step, and work was completed quickly and swiftly so I had time to sit down and watch a movie.

As I was sipping on a glass of blood, the passcode to my door beeped and the door opened after the seventh number. A waft of vanilla and I knew who it was. "I'm watching a movie!" I announced, waving at him to hurry over.

"What are you watching?" he asked as he neared, throwing his bag onto the floor as he sat down next to me with a sigh. "Is it a sappy romance movie?"

"No, it's a horror movie," I explained. "I've been wanting to watch it for a long time."

"I didn't know you like watching horror movies," he said, curling his legs underneath him and pulling a bowl of popcorn over to him before popping a few in his mouth. "Do you have ramen with you?"

"You know you don't have to ask," I pointed out.

"Do you really keep stock of all my favourite brands at home?" he asked in wonder.

"Why don't you go and check?" I asked.

He put the bowl onto the table and went to the kitchen to take a look. My focus was entirely on the movie and I had one hand on the glass as I stared at the television screen. Hearing him gasp over my stock of ramen instant noodles, I could hear tinkering over there so I knew he was preparing a bowl for himself.

Asking if he missed some scenes, he sat down on the floor cross-legged as he set the bowl on the coffee table and we watched the horror movie in relative silence. I munched on the popcorn and sipped more of the blood – now that I could feed without trying to hide it from him. It was a blissful moment and I was glad that he knew.

Two hours later, we sat on the sofa bored as I tried to find another show to watch when Jiminie popped a question that made my hand still. "What kind of powers do you have, Alice?" he asked suddenly. "Is it the same as the ones stated in the Twilight books?"

I tried to reign in the laughter. He's so adorable I couldn't contain myself from cooing at him. "I still can't believe you read the Twilight series," I said with a smile. "Did you watch the movies too?"

"They have movies?!"

"But it's not … nice," I said. "I wouldn't recommend it."

"I'll watch it at home then," he said.

"Well, don't complain to me after you watch it," I pointed out.

"Okay," he said. "Let's watch that instead!"

"This?" I paused at an animation Disney movie. "Tangled?"

"Yup!"

"Okay."

.