I was the most nervous about going on my date with Endrian. We seemed to connect the last time we spoke, but he hasn't spoken to me ever since. I haven't even seen him around the house. There was no communication on what we were going to do, what I should wear, or even if the date was still on. I just assumed that the date was still on. So, I dressed according to the weather and hoped that it was appropriate enough for wherever Endrian planned on taking me.

As I was pulling my hair into a bun, I heard a soft knock on the door. I finished doing my hair and opened the door to find no one standing in front of my oddly enough. However, there was a note sitting on the hardwood floor. On the front of the note was my name written in rather neat, cursive handwriting. On the back were simple instructions.

Meet me in the garage in ten minutes. Bring a heavy jacket. And don't eat any snacks.

- Endrian

From the instructions, I assumed that we were going to eat something on our date. I didn't take Endrian to really be the foodie type. Perhaps it was because he was a vampire that I just assumed that he only consumed food for the nourishment, not the flavor. I headed back inside my room and closed the door behind me, deciding to get ready even further.

After putting on some light makeup, changing into a royal blue long sleeve dress with black legging for more warmth, and touching up my hair bun, I checked the time and saw that five minutes have passed. I figured that it would take me a couple of minutes to get down to the garage and that it wouldn't hurt to be just a couple minutes early. So, I headed down the stairs and into the garage.

Endrian was shoving something in the carrier on the back of his motorcycle just as I walked in. After he saw me, he glanced down at his watch. Then, he looked back up at me with those serious, red eyes of his. "You're a minute early."

"Well, better early than late, right? May I ask where we are heading?" I finally asked, nervous to be asking that question in the first place. It was probably obvious that I was still kinda scared of Endrian, no doubt that he noticed my hesitance whenever it came to him.

"We're going to the cliffside to have a picnic. I got sandwiches, fruit, and even chocolate. You like chocolate, right?" He asked, his gaze not meeting mine. Hearing all the things he packed, I was actually a little excited about our date. It seemed like Endrian put quite a bit of time and thought into the date.

"I like chocolate. A lot, actually. Thank you for preparing everything for us. Can you eat any of that though?" I asked my next question.

"Yeah? Why wouldn't I?"

I blushed a little as I realized that my question may have been stereotypical. When it came to meals, I guessed that I never actually paid attention to his eating habits. All I really noticed was that Endrian finished his meals rather quickly and left at the same pace. "J-Just making sure is all. U-Um, shall we get going then?"

Endrian gave me a slightly bewildered look before rolling his eyes, dropping the topic. He handed me a motorcycle helmet before putting on his own. Hopping on the back of his cycle, he gestured for me to get on the back. I followed, getting on the back of the cycle and wrapping my arms around his waist. This action still made me nervous, but not as nervous as last time for some reason.

The garage door opened and the cycle was revved up, ready to go. Soon enough, Endrian sped away out of the garage and down the path towards the main town that would help guide us to the cliffside. It was a good thing Endrian suggested that I wear a heavier jacket. With the wind hitting me on the back of the motorcycle and just the recent changes in weather, it was pretty chilly. Even though my heavy coat, I could feel some goosebumps start to form on my skin.

We sped through the town and took the long way up to the cliffs, this time Endrian taking his time on the way up. I remembered the first time he took me to the cliffside. He went way over the speed limit out of frustration and anger and spewed out his confessions out of the same feelings. I wondered if he was still grieving or if he was healing already. I didn't know much about Endrian, but he seemed to be a strong individual that tended to bottle up his feelings until he exploded.

I wanted to help teach him not to bottle those emotions up. I knew from experience that bottling them up would only make the pain feel worse. The last thing I wanted for him was to experience more pain.

Eventually, we reached that familiar cliffside, the sun beginning to bathe the sky in purples and pinks. Endrian pulled into a parking spot and turned the engine off before taking off his helmet. I followed his movements and took my helmet off as well. Fixing my hair bun, I got off the cycle and stepped back to give him some space to hop off and fetch the picnic basket. There weren't any cars or people on the spot, probably because it was a little too cold. The only thing that kept me from shivering was the warm sunlight piercing through my black coat.

I continued to stare at the sunset and take in the warmth before it would disappear to bring the stars and moon out. Shuffling could be heard beside me as Endrian unpacked the blanket from the basket. Turning my head, I saw him setting down a blanket and bringing out the food. As promised, he brought sandwiches, fruit, and chocolate. The way everything was packed reminded me of what a little kid would bring to school for lunch. The sandwiches were in plastic bags and the fruit was in a large tupperware container to share. The chocolate was just in its plastic wrapping as well.

Despite that, however, I was really grateful that he even made the effort to organize the picnic. It made it seem like he was really trying his best to make this date a success. Once he sat down on the blanket, I went ahead and took a seat next to him, but still keeping some distance between us. I still didn't want to intrude on his personal space.

"Come on. I don't bite." Endrian huffed until he realized what he said. I remembered my first time "meeting" him and I knew that he can and will try to bite. There was a moment of awkward silence between us, Endrian looking away from me. Eventually, I cleared my throat and grabbed a sandwich to eat. I haven't eaten any snacks earlier as instructed, so I was pretty hungry.

"So, Endrian, what do you like to do for fun?" I inquired, taking a bite out of my roast beef sandwich. The lettuce was crisp and the tomato was juicy, blending well with the provolone cheese and small hint of mayo. I took another bite and gave a genuine smile as I enjoyed the food.

"Er, I like to work on my bike. Mechanical work is what I've always been good at. Cars, motorcycles, any kind of engine really. I also like to enjoy a beer every once in a while. And I. . ." Endrian trailed off, his cheeks turning a little pink. His gaze was still trained on the view ahead. The town was just turning on their lights in preparation for the darkness. It was a beautiful sight, but I wished that he would be a little more engaging.

Endrian pulled a ham sandwich out from a plastic bag and began to eat, letting his sentence end there. We fell into an awkward silence again as we ate, making me fidget in my seat. I stared ahead at the scene before us as well, trying to think about what to say next.

Before I could speak up, he went ahead and broke the silence. "What about you? What do you like to do for fun?"

"Oh, well, I like to practice and study magic. I also like to watch documentaries. I love nature documentaries the most, but any kind of documentary is good to me except for the ones that report false information and propaganda. Cooking shows are also something that I like." I answered, a bit glad that he was trying to keep the conversation going. However, as I talked, it seemed like he wasn't paying that much attention. It looked like he had his head in the clouds.

"Endrian? Is something wrong?" I finally asked. I would understand if he wanted to cut the date short due to how uncomfortable and awkward it seemed to be for both of us. But, I was a little too afraid to mention it first. I wanted to know what he thought.

"What? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking. . ." He trailed off once again. His tone wasn't as harsh as usual. In fact, it was actually pretty vulnerable sounding.

"What are you thinking about if I may ask?"

Endrian didn't say anything for quite a while. He just laid down on the blanket, facing the sky that began to show off some stars. I decided to lay down on my back with him, enjoying the view. The sound of crickets began to become more apparent and the sky was turning from a lavish pink to a royal purple to a midnight blue, stars dancing in the blue.

A sigh came from him and he spoke up. "Anise? Why am I cursed? I know that you don't know yet. I'm just thinking out loud here. Out of everyone in town, why me? Who did I piss off so bad that they forced me to stay here? I remember feeding on a person in this town and then in the next moment, I could never leave."

"Do you remember who you were. . . feeding on?" I struggled to ask my question, knowing that by "feeding" he meant sucking the blood out of someone. Who knew if he drank enough to let them die in the street or not. No matter how I looked at it, it didn't seem like a delicate or graceful act.

He shrugged. "Some lady. I can barely remember her face. All I know is that she tasted sweet like caramel. In fact. . ."

Endrian sat up a bit and leaned down closer to me, his face inches away from my neck. I froze, afraid that he was going to try to bite me. Instead, though, I heard a couple of sniffs and he lied back down in his own space. "You smell kinda like her. Sweet like caramel."

I didn't really know what to say about that. Instead, I just tried to relax again. Yet another silence fell over us both, but this time it was much more thoughtful. It was a stretch, but could the same woman that cursed the others so far be the same person that cursed Endrian? I also reflected back to what Danton said, a witch speaking with my grandmother and cursing zir. I wondered if my grandmother had any records of this other witch within her books.

"This is just a theory, but I think that you, Danton, Cassius, and Beofur were all cursed by the same witch. If that's the case, then you ended up feeding on a witch who then cursed you to this town after she came to again." I briefly explained. He didn't say anything, but I could see his brow quirk up for a moment.

". . . Yeah, I guess that would make sense. A witch would definitely be able to do something about me feeding off the people here. Funny thing is that ever since then, I haven't had the desire to feed on anyone until you showed up." He confessed like it was a perfectly natural thing to say.

I didn't respond to his comment, again, unsure of what to say. I then suddenly heard a loud rumble coming from his stomach. He sat up quickly and popped open the container of fruit, tossing a grape into his mouth. "Sorry. Ever since you arrived at the house, it's been hard to keep my appetite and desires in check."

"D-Desires?" I repeated, thinking that he could have probably used a much better word than that.

"Well, in addition to just hating you before, you also smell sweet as I have said. It's been hard to not try to feed. Why else do you think I kept avoiding you before?" He seriously asked.

"I-I just thought that you hated me. . ." I answered honestly. I didn't think that I could be blamed for my answer either. While we have reconciled since the last time we had some alone time, I still thought that a part of him hated me enough to avoid me.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I don't hate you that much, you know? What made you think that I hated you that much?"

I sat up and gave him an incredulous look. "B-Because you avoided me and sn-snapped at me all the time. . ."

It looked like he was about to snap at me until he froze and shook his head, looking down into his lap. ". . . I'm sorry. I don't hate you. I'm just. . . taking out all my frustrations out on you and trying to protect you from me."

"If anything, I should think that you hate me. After all, I came close to biting your neck before even officially meeting, I've done nothing but snap at you and even avoiding you despite talking on this cliff last time. But you. . . you kept trying to be nice to me. You keep trying to give me a chance. Why?" He questioned, turning his head to face me.

Despite how dark it was getting, I could see his red eyes glow through the darkness. They were intense like he was staring right into my soul. "I-I think everyone deserves a chance. I understand that you were frustrated and took it out on me. But, I don't blame you for it. I think I would be angry too if I was in your shoes."

"There you go again, being understanding." He actually chuckled and shook his head. His gaze returned to the stars and he ate another piece of fruit. I reached over and picked out an apple slice, enjoying its cotton candy sweetness.

"Anise?"

"Yes, Endrian?" I responded.

"This. . . This is going to sound selfish, but do you mind if I drink just a bit of your blood? This sandwich and fruit aren't cutting it for me, especially since you're around." He sincerely asked. I bit my lower lip and brought my knees up to my chest, thinking about it seriously. I knew I had trouble saying no to people. This was one of those times.

"J-Just a bit. . ." I finally replied. Endrian slowly scooted closer to me, his body heat radiating and warming me up through my coat. I closed my eyes and exposed some of my neck for him. The feeling of his warm breath hit my skin sent a shiver along my spine. I could feel and hear my heartbeat race within my chest. The last time we were this close was when he tried to bite me the first time. The only difference between then and now was that he had my consent.

Sharp teeth grazed against my skin, causing me to jump. I clenched my fists and waited for them to puncture through my skin. However, it never came. I suddenly felt a heavy weight resting against my shoulder and a sigh hit my neck. "I can't do it. . ."

I opened my eyes and got the full picture of what was happening. Endrian was resting his head on my shoulder, still sitting close to me. We sat like that for a moment, feeling more comfortable than we probably should've felt. The weight was comforting to me. I wanted him to feel that same sense of comfort. So, hesitatingly, I put a hand on his back and patted.

"It's okay. . ." I comforted, unsure of what I was comforting him about. I felt him tense up for a second before relaxing further into me. He then sat up and began to back all the food, tossing me a piece of the chocolate bar.

"Here. Let's call it a night, yeah?"

I nodded and took a bite of the piece, letting the rich chocolate melt on my tongue. After helping him back everything up, we loaded it back onto the motorcycle and hopped on before speeding away back home. Again, he took the long and slow route back home.

We pulled into the garage at a reasonable hour. Unlike my other dates that ran pretty late, this one was actually pretty short. Like he was reading my mind, Endrian mentioned it. "Sorry that the date was pretty short. I'm not good at this sort of thing. The next one will be longer though."

"The next one?"

"Yeah, if that's okay with you?" He confirmed. I found it actually pretty sweet how he wanted my permission now. He was noticeably more considerate than before. I gave him a nod and a bright smile.

"I don't mind a second date. Just write a day on the calendar whenever you are ready. Thank you for taking me on a date tonight. Despite it being short, I felt like I did get to know you better and I feel like more things are cleared up." I confessed, feeling a little heat on my cheeks.

He gave a curt nod and began to take up the picnic basket from the back. While he tried to hide it, I could see a faint blush on his own cheeks. "Yeah. . . Well, I guess I'll see you around, Anise."

And with that, I headed inside the house and to my room. He may not look it or act like it sometimes, but Endrian was pretty considerate. Or at least he was changing for the better.