“So, go on then,” Lestat said.

Tiana glanced at him. “Right now?”

“No time like the present.”

The pair of them were sitting at Tiana’s cozinha table. She had made coffee, out of habit, but neither of them had drunk it, and now the two cups were rapidly cooling on the breakfast bar. Tiana’s head was still reeling. She still couldn’t quite believe it. She was going to be a vampire! Lestat was going to turn her! And all she had to do was make a bucket list. Only now, she wasn’t entirely sure what she’d put on it.

“Well, ok,” she said, taking a deep breath.

“Here.” Lestat pushed her notepad and a pen towards her from the other end of the table. Tiana shot him a grateful smile and picked up the pen.

“Ok,” she said, thinking hard. “Well...I have always wanted to see Paris.”

Lestat smiled. “I think you’d like it.”

Tiana began to write her list, in silence. Often, she stopped in mid writing, paused for thought and then continued scribbling, or else crossed out something to make room for something else. Eventually, however, she was done, or almost done, and she pushed the pad towards Lestat.

“Alright,” he mused, picking it up. “Let’s have a look.” He frowned. “Tiana, you’ve left a blank.”

Tiana blushed. “Well, yeah, that’s for...well, one thing I really, really want to do before I’m twenty is...you know.”

Lestat raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Well...losing it.”

Luckily for her, Lestat was quick to pick up on what “it” was and he gave her a mischievous smile. “Well, I think I can most definitely help you with that one.”

Tiana’s blush deepened and he chuckled. “Alright, let’s see what else you’ve got. Paris, we can definitely do that one. Swimming with dolphins, right, see the Northern Lights, again, easy, meet someone royal (who isn’t Belle’s fiancé), learn a new language-” Lestat frowned. “Hold a spider? Really?”

“I’m terrified of them,” Tiana explained. “But I’m starting to think maybe I should confront my fear of them.”

Lestat smiled and went on with the list. “Alright, what’s next? Be in two places at the same time – how the hell are you going to achieve that?”

Tiana shrugged. “There has to be a way!”

“Do something childish one last time; that sounds easy. Tiana, why have you crossed the last one out?”

“Getting my restaurant?” Tiana shrugged. “I don’t know; I doubt I’ll achieve that before I’m twenty.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Lestat replied, taking her hand. “I told you before; you can do this, with a little help.”

Tiana smiled. “Well, there you have it. There’s my bucket list.”

“So, where would you like to start?”

“Well, um, which seems easiest?” Even as Tiana said it, she felt herself blushing, knowing what the answer to that would be.

“Tiana, most of these seem fairly easy,” Lestat replied.

“No, I mean, going to Paris and to see the Northern Lights; I mean, I’d have to save up to get a flight and...”

“No, you wouldn’t.” Lestat fixed her with a look. “Vampire, remember?”

Tiana understood. “You mean we could just fly there...without a plane?”

“We could fly to Paris and back in the o espaço of a few hours.”

Tiana smiled. “Well, I think I’d like to spend a bit mais time in Paris than just a few hours, Lestat.”

“Ok, well, tell me when you’re ready, and we’ll go.”

“Well, in that case, I suppose getting my restaurant and learning a new language would be the most difficult ones,” Tiana considered. “And, well, I suppose I could hold a aranha right now if there were any around.” Jumpily, she looked around the kitchen. “There aren’t any in here, are there?”

Lestat smiled. “Remind me never to tickle you in your sleep!”

Tiana took a swat at him and he laughed. “Alright! Tiana, it’s your list; so it’s your choice.”

Tiana hesitated, feeling warm again. “Well...” Ducking her head, she muttered “The last one.”

“Sorry, didn’t quite catch that?”

Tiana looked up. “The last one. The...you know.”

Lestat quickly adopted a serious expression. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

Tiana nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while; but, well, I never had a relationship that lasted this long before, so...it never happened.”

“And you wouldn’t be nervous losing it to a vampire?”

Tiana smiled. “Nothing you could do would make me nervous being with you.”

Lestat returned her smile and leaned forwards. Tiana felt her coração skip a beat as he stroked her hair back from her face. He was so gentle she couldn’t believe that he was anything other than her kind, sensitive and charming boyfriend. Who just happened to be a vampire. “You...” She couldn’t help asking. “You’re not going to bite me, are you?”

“Promise,” Lestat whispered, and then he kissed her. Tiana leaned forwards, pressing closer to him, wanting more. Was this, she wondered, what it felt like being a vampire; as Lestat had described it to her, craving for more? His kisses certainly did that to her.

“You’re one hundred percent sure about this?” Lestat murmured to her.

“Yes, one hundred percent!” Tiana whispered back. “Now quit stalling!”

Lestat laughed, softly. “We’ll make a vampire of you yet, Tiana!”

He kissed her, mais feverishly, mais passionately, and Tiana flung her arms around his neck, suddenly realising just how much she wanted this, and with Lestat. Somehow, she didn’t even feel them move, but the seguinte thing she knew they were both on their feet, beijar madly. Tiana prayed that he wasn’t about to literally rip her clothes off; she was wearing one of her favourite dresses. Thankfully, he didn’t.

“Bedroom’s this way,” she stammered as they finally parted.

“I know.” Lestat smiled at her. “Slept here before, remember?”

“Right.” Tiana nodded, remembering how she had felt that night when they both slept on her cama together. My mother would really freak if she knew about this, she thought. Mind you, Esme had been sleeping around with her boyfriends since she was fifteen and never worried about it.

Whatever she did with Lestat felt comfortable, although now she found herself worrying, party about whether she’d be any good at this, since he was clearly an expert, and partly because she was wearing particularly, well, nice underwear today. That had been Meg’s idea; and a gift from her one Christmas. “Just in case you get lucky,” Meg had told her. “You don’t want to get caught out wearing non-sexy underwear.” She’d worn it today because it was good for shopping trips that involved trying on clothes, or so Meg insisted. Now, she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about wearing it in front of Lestat. Was it the kind of thing you wore when you were about to, you know, with the person you loved with all your heart.

Lestat, however, put her at her ease. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, pulling her close and beijar her.

“Lestat?” she murmured, when it was all over, as they lay together, snuggled under the sheets. For Tiana it had been the most amazing experience of her whole life; and she could understand now why so many people chose to wait to lose it with someone they loved.

“Mm?”

“Am I any good at that?”

“You are,” Lestat replied, beijar her hair, nuzzling her. “You’re brilliant.”

He continued beijar her and Tiana closed her eyes. “So, that’s one off the list,” she breathed. “You’ll help me with all the others, right?”

“Of course.” Lestat pulled back to look deeply into her eyes. “I amor you, Tiana.”

She could see it, each time he said it, the amor in his eyes, and she smiled, knowing that this was where she wanted to be, for the rest of her life, in his arms, loved por him. “I amor you too.”