After setting the table, Gabriel sat down to wait for Lara to wake up. The table was packed with food: he had made omelettes, pancakes, everything a proper breakfast was entitled to. He wanted to give Lara everything she deserved... It was strange how he had met her such a short time ago, yet he already felt a strong connection with her, as if he had known her for years.

  He did not have to wait long. After only a few minutes of sitting, he heard a sweet voice calling him. Lara was already awake and standing behind him, wearing the shirt he had lent her the night before, her face as red as a tomato. This time, even he blushed, as he hadn’t expected to see her like that... wearing only his shirt.

  “Ga...briel, I’m sorry...,” Lara mumbled, completely flustered. Full of embarrassment, she hid her face.

  “Lara, what’s wrong?”, he asked, worried, not understanding the reason for such shame. He stood up and walked over to her.

  “I tried to look for some clothes... but there weren’t any. I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to see me like this... just in your shirt. It’s not proper for a lady... but I had no choice, so I came downstairs to look for you and ask for something to wear.”

  Gabriel’s eyes widened, but then he burst out laughing in relief.

  Lara, on the other hand, seeing him laugh, blushed even more, this time even a little upset. After all, was he laughing at her? Was that it?

  “Gabriel? Are you laughing at me?”,0 her voice sounded hurt.

  He realized Lara was upset and quickly placed his hands on her shoulders, stopping his laughter and growing serious.

  “No! I would never do that! I’m sorry, it’s just that when you came in I thought it was something worse, and when you told me it was because of the clothes, I felt relieved and started laughing because the solution was so simple. I couldn’t hold it in, I’m sorry. You know I would never make fun of you, okay?”

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  Gabriel took her hands and lifted them to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on them, which made Lara even more shy, unable to meet his gaze.

  To Gabriel, it was clear that Lara had a unique sensitivity he had never seen in anyone else. To him, that was something special, something to be protected. On top of that, the way Lara was so shy enchanted him, because it showed both her fragility and her strength at the same time. Even standing before a stranger, she was able to show her kindness, but at the same time her shyness revealed someone who pulled back to protect herself... it showed her intelligence.

  The way Lara blushed seemed beautiful to him...no one had ever been like that with him.

  He watched her, and their eyes met. Both of them were left mesmerized by one another. For some reason, Gabriel found Lara very beautiful, both in heart and soul. He gave a slight smile and, to his surprise, Lara laughed; her smile was magnificent.

  “I’m the one who’s sorry, Gabriel. I’m always on my guard... after all, I’ve only known you for a short time and, well, yesterday was all very surreal, you know?” she said, honest and straightforward. It was part of who she was, and Gabriel could see that.

  “It’s all right. In fact... you’re actually right. We’ve known each other for only a short time, I shouldn’t act like this, laughing the way I did. Since you don’t really know me yet, you could take it the wrong way... I hope you can forgive me, Lara.”

  “Of course I forgive you,” she replied, with her big heart. Gabriel always felt welcomed by her.

  “Great, I’m glad. I don’t want to hurt you, much less make you upset with me. Now, I’ll go get you some clothes.”

  He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the room where she had slept, looking for something she could wear. Fortunately, he had a very old dress that had belonged to his mother. He feared it wouldn’t fit Lara, but it was all he had.

  He walked back to her with the dress.

  “I’m sorry... this is all I’ve got. I don’t have many women’s clothes, just a few that belonged to my mother. Since I live alone, I never needed them, but I also never gave them away... they’re part of a story, so I kept them.”

  Lara’s expression stayed calm, she did not seem bothered in the least by the fact that they had belonged to Gabriel’s mother.

  “It’s all right, I understand. I’ll wear whatever there is. Honestly, I should be the one thanking you for your kindness since yesterday. You helped me, gave me a place to sleep, and now you’re even lending me clothes... I can only be grateful.”

  She stood up and went to the bathroom to get changed, while Gabriel waited outside the bedroom door.

  As Lara was getting dressed, she felt a strange sense of joy. It was all so strange; after all, until yesterday that man had been, to her, a vampire. But suddenly, everything had changed... What was he to her now?