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– Hi. – He held out his hand to me.

– Hi. – I wanted to shake his hand, but he intercepted my palm and brought it to his lips. I pulled it away.

– I'm sorry, I couldn't resist: you're so damn beautiful» the Playboy said with a flattering smile as he looked me over.

I felt like he was just groping me with that stare-it was unpleasant and damnably insolent, and I wanted to leave.

– What did you want? – I asked him directly.

– To know your name, beautiful. You ran off so fast and didn't even leave your precious slipper.

«Oh, that's it… He's trying to hit on me» I thought tiredly.

It was funny: I smiled involuntarily at his vulgar compliment, and he must have mistaken my mockery for a smile of gratitude, because he immediately brightened up.

– It would be weird if I walked around in the same shoe. And anyway, my shoes are very expensive, more expensive than yours, so I don't throw them around» I told him wryly. – Stupid idea, don't even try!

Bypassing the Playboy, I continued on my way to my bike, but I heard the guy mutter to himself under his nose: «We'll see about that, sweetheart»

The nasty conversation with this Playboy, who probably thought he was a god, made me feel as disgusted as if a bucket of mud had been poured on me.

I walked out to the alley where I had left my bike and suddenly saw last night's guest, Frederik Haraldson, fiddling with my bike.

«What does he want?» – I thought grudgingly, quickening my step.

As I approached the vampire, I was displeased to find that he was removing the «super-secure» lock from my bike, as Mary and I had been assured by the police.

Haraldson raised a cold stare at me.

– Don't get hysterical. I just want to compensate you for yesterday's damage» he said sternly.

His words hurt me: what made him think I would scream?

– I wasn't. – The resentment was eating at me. – Let me ask you what you're doing with my bike`?

***

Misha gave me a frown.

– I bought you a new one» I answered, unlocking the bike, standing up and looking down at the girl: she was tall enough, but her top barely reached my shoulders. Misha 's left shoulder was slightly raised.

«There she goes again, combing her hair like that. Doesn't she hate walking around like this?» – I thought, glancing at her ugly hair.

– But I didn't ask you to do anything» she said absently. – And I certainly didn't ask you to take the lock off my bike. The police gave it to me because it's very secure.

– Even a first-grader could open that lock» I grinned mockingly and handed her the damn lock.

I wanted to switch bikes while the owner was at college, but I guess I didn't have the time. Thankfully, the weather was nice. For me.

– I'll fix this bike, but I bought you a new one anyway» I said, looking at Misha 's frowning but handsome face.

– And where is it? – She asked. Her eyebrows went up.

– There. – I pointed to my car, where her new bicycle was leaned against it.

The young vampire glanced at it, and her face took on a mocking expression.

– Pink? Are you laughing? – She asked mockingly, but then her voice filled with resentment. – I'm already considered to be a dumb blonde, and you bought me a pink bike?

– I didn't think you'd feel that way about it. Honestly. There were only pink, green, and black colors in the store» I tried to explain my choice honestly.

– «You should have taken the black one. Even it's better than…this one. – Her voice trembled.

Misha looked longingly at the pink bike. The girl's face was as sour as if she had eaten a whole basket of lemons.

– What difference does it make what color the bike is? – I was sincerely surprised: Misha 's reaction was incomprehensible to me.

I told the truth: I had chosen the pink two-wheeled horse without any mockery or backward thought, but I just thought that since Misha was still very young (for a vampire's age), the pink color would be to her liking. After all, she had blue colored nails.

– Big. I don't like pink: it's frivolous» the girl replied sullenly.

– Put your shoulder down» I said.

– What?» She gave me a surprised look.

– You always lift your left shoulder. – I touched her raised shoulder and pressed it gently; it returned to its normal position.

– I didn't realize I was doing that» Misha said thoughtfully.

I was surprised by her calmness: it turned out that she still knew how to talk normally, without hysterics and without raising her voice, but before her behavior claimed the opposite.

– I know why: I like to lie on my left side when I surf the Internet» she said suddenly, and then looked at the pink bicycle again. – If that's the case, I'll take this disgusting pink thing to match your opinion and the opinion of others, but I won't ride it, I'll give it to Mary. You'll fix up my blue one for me. Deal?

I grinned: how stubborn!

– Okay, then wait for him tonight» I said, pleasantly surprised by her calm demeanor. – You lifted your shoulder again. Keep an eye on it. You know, you're not like yourself today: too calm.

The girl looked at me resentfully.

– You think I can only yell? Well keep thinking, I don't care at all.

Misha came to the pink bicycle, rolled it to the side of the road, sat down and left, and I looked at her with surprise: she rode slowly, very smoothly, beautifully, and her hair tied in a long ponytail fluttered in the wind. At that moment she seemed to me very fragile.

«I should have known how old she was» I realized.

After watching the girl disappear around the nearest corner, I tied the blue bicycle to the roof of my Mustang with a rope and drove home to get it repaired. I kept my promise: I smoothed out the warped iron, replaced the bent wheel with a new one, tightened all the bolts, which were already considerably loose, and wondered how Misha could ride this half-decayed piece of iron. In the evening I brought the bike to her house, but it wasn't Misha who took it, but her girlfriend, who was once again in homemade clothes, and now I was finally convinced that this mortal lived with the young vampire under the same roof. Misha herself not only didn't come out to me, she didn't say a word.