Sienna and Oliver had exchanged a few messages, mostly making sure they had the right numbers. He sent her his address which to her surprise was the same building as her own. His apartment was a few floors up and just knowing that made her anxious. Unlike yesterday, she knew this would be a much more casual affair and decided to just wear a t-shirt and shorts, though she still felt like it wasn’t enough. The elevator ride made her heart beat faster as she didn’t want anyone to see her. If Oliver lived here, then it wasn’t far-fetched that others from the company did as well. She just didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. The elevator dinged as it reached the floor. She peeked out, hoping there would be no one around which there wasn’t. After taking a moment to follow the signs she found herself in front of his apartment. She knocked, hoping she hadn’t gotten the number wrong and froze when she heard movement inside. The door swung open, revealing a freshly shaven Oliver.

“Please come in,” he said, opening the door.

Sienna nodded and followed him inside. As she walked through the entrance, she was immediately attracted to the dozens of photos covering the walls. There were landscapes, animals, and many pictures of people. What intrigued her were how dated some of them looked, like they were from over a hundred years ago.

“You have a nice collection.” she said, taking off her shoes and better examining the photos. There was one more prominently displayed than the others: a picture of Oliver and a woman who looked just like him.

“Thank you. That one there is of my sister Cass and I a few years ago. Time sure does fly.”

“Are all these other photos also family members?”

He shook his head, “I like preserving the moments of others. By doing so, their memory gets to stay even after they’re long gone.” A subtle sadness filled those last few words. “Anyway, we’re here to cook. Did you have anything specific in mind?”

Sienna had thought about it a little bit beforehand. “I’m mainly curious about using blood as a sauce.”

“Did last evening’s dinner leave such a strong impression on you? Or are you curious for different reasons?”

She gulped. “I’m interested in trying new things so that’s why.” Her answer was rehearsed, but still came out nervously.

“I see,” he smiled, “Then we’ll start off easy.”

They made it out of the entryway and to the living room and kitchen. While there were more photos hanging on the walls, everything looked normal. Except for the blackout curtains covering the windows. The sun was still up, yet any light barely broke through. Now that she thought about it, the blinds in his office were always closed. On the kitchen counter was a jar of blood and chicken wings.

“I hope you’re fine with wings.”

“I love them.” She started to imagine them dipped in bloody barbeque sauce. It made her mouth start to water.

He washed his hands before getting out a cutting board and knife. “There’s nothing difficult about using blood. Its entire purpose is to act as a sauce; giving life to the dish.”

It was ironic considering the bird had been deprived of its own. Like lightning, Oliver separated the wings into drumsticks and flaps. He lightly seasoned them before sticking them into the air fryer. With the main meat done, all that was left were the sides. He started chopping carrots and potatoes, making sure every slice was even. The potatoes were put in the oven while he started cooking the carrots on the stove. He added a spoonful of brown sugar to sweeten them up and stir it all together.

“Watch closely.” He took the jar of blood and poured a quarter of it into a saucepan. As it started to heat up, Sienna couldn’t take her eyes off of it. After a minute he used a bottle of barbeque sauce and squeezed its contents into the pan. Slowly, he mixed the two liquids together until they were the right consistency.

“For chicken, it’s better to have a secondary condiment to accompany the blood. Frying it up also makes the sauce cling to the skin. It also helps in not burning the blood.”

“What about that steak?” Sienna’s eyes were still glued to the pan.

“I prefer to add steak sauce to it, mainly as it gets more mileage out of the blood. But eating it with only blood sauce is an option too. The tender meat juices mixing and melting into your mouth is heavenly.”

It only looked like it was for a second, but she could have sworn she saw him lick his lips. He must’ve been very passionate about cooking. The air fryer beeped and Oliver took the wings out, covering all of them with the sauce. As he did, the potatoes and carrots also finished. To finish the meal, he brought out a bottle of red wine. While he set the table, Sienna poured it into two glasses. She made sure to sneak a little bit of blood into hers before carrying them to the table. It was just the two of them. All alone. Having dinner together. She tasted the wings and felt the explosion of flavor on her tongue. This was even better than the steak. She tore through her wings, making sure to leave some extra sauce for the sides. It’d been forever since she felt full.

Oliver seemed pleased, “I’m glad you like the cooking.”

“I think you should’ve become a chef instead of a photographer.” It was a half joke, but she was also partially serious.

“Really? I suppose I do enjoy it.”

“Yeah, but I think it’s strange you don’t have any pictures of food hanging up.”

He hesitated to answer before saying, “I guess I never thought about taking any before. Busy with work.”

“I get it, I’m too tired sometimes to do anything like that. I just sit around watching TV or reading.” Sienna was surprised how much she was enjoying herself here. It made her wonder whether the Oliver before her was the same one as yesterday. “I think I like this side of you more.” She realized she hadn’t phrased that correctly and hoped he wouldn’t be mad.

Instead, he laughed it off. “Well, yesterday I was acting as your boss. Today we’re just friends.”

She didn’t realize he thought of her that way. Soon, the sun began to set. They washed off dishes as Oliver packed up the leftovers. He had kindly let her take them back with her. Once everything was cleaned up, he escorted her to the door.

“I had fun.” Sienna said, holding tightly to the wings.

“Me too,” Before she left, he left her with some parting words. “Make sure to sleep well. People like us need our sleep.”

She waved him goodbye and returned to her apartment. Instead of doing something, she laid on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Something had bugged her the whole time she was there. She tried piecing together everything she encountered: the old photos, blackout curtains, the way he talked about blood and food, his parting words. Then, it hit her. "Oh my God he’s a vampire too."