Chapter 22: Chapter 22

When all was said and done, Ingrid nodded and accepted the young man at his word. She knew too that in time, there would come a moment where this commitment would be tested. Based on Rohit’s answer, she started believing in him for who he actually was.

And with that, they left the Blue Marsh Avenue and decided to have dinner at a drive-in fast-food joint known as Saw Nick’s Burger Cabin. The reason they settled for that was because the other dine-in places were closing for the night, and this place was opened until two in the morning. It was also named appropriately for its outdoorsy theme and how they prepared burgers a certain way.

Another aspect that made this place unique was the drive-in services, where one could eat their meals beneath a lighted awning consisting of private stalls. It was almost like a drive-in movie theatre, minus the cinema. Overall though, one’s privacy could be maintained, and there was nothing these two valued more than their seclusion, especially Ingrid.

While Rohit knew what he wanted already, having been to this place before on his way home from his second job at the mall, he patiently waited for Ingrid to order.

The vampire heiress scanned the bright blue and white menu machine, her mouth agape from all of the options. ‘I can understand why a lot of people come here,’ she thought, recalling the line of cars by the drive-thru and some cars in the drive-in at this hour in the night, ‘So many choices for such reasonable prices… It’s overwhelming,’ then asked Rohit what he got.

“I like the double-cheeseburger and onion rings,” he replied casually, “The mozzarella sticks are pretty good—” then recalled how that most likely had garlic in them, so he suggested against it.

Ingrid placed her hand by her chin. “I’ll just get what you got then.”

“Alright, what drink?”

“Hm, what’d you get?”

“I’m not a big soda fan, so I just got the fruit punch.”

“Is it possible to get it without the drink?”

“Yeah, if that’s what you want.”

She nodded. “I’ll do that then, since I have the blood bags to drink anyway.”

Rohit went ahead and pushed the button on the menu to notify the clerk they were ready to order. He placed it and ended up having to pay a bit more because Ingrid’s food wasn’t considered a meal without the drink. But he didn’t make a big deal out of it and pocketed the receipt.

Ingrid proceeded to retrieve one of the blood bags, which was steadily thawing out.

“Are the bags re-sealable?” Rohit asked, wondering how she planned to store it if she didn’t finish it.

She nodded. “I didn’t plan on drinking too much of it anyway. Just a cup should do, since I had a lot earlier.”

Close to ten minutes passed by when the carhop brought over the pair’s meals, and Ingrid reached over Rohit before he rolled his window up.

“Thank you, miss!” the worker acknowledged with a smile after he was handed some money.

“That was pretty cool,” Rohit commented, handing the vampire heiress her burger. “I do that sometimes too.”

She smiled. “I understand workers in the food industry have it pretty rough sometimes, so I like to think every bit goes a long way.”

The young man agreed with a soft smile too, recalling instances where considerate customers would give him tips at Royal Hens if they truly appreciated the effort he put into making their order. They too, understood the nuances of working in a fast-food joint with so much expectations, yet minimal pay most times.

For the next hour, they sat in the car eating and digesting their food.

Ingrid had taken some sips of blood before sealing it back again for cold storage.

Rohit patted his lips with a napkin and thought, ‘I wonder how long they can stay at room temperature. We’ll have to think of a way to properly store them, even if they are expired.’ He then looked at the time on his watch. ‘Ton Mart closes in an hour,’ he mused, noticing there was time before midnight. ‘And they’re a few blocks up the road, so we could swing by and see if they have that.’

“Ah, that was delicious!” Ingrid exhaled with a satisfied expression and patting her stomach, as she sunk in her seat. “Saw Nick’s is my new favorite place to eat!”

The young man chuckled, “I’m glad,” then asked her if it was okay to pass by one more store before heading home.

“What for?” she wondered, posturing up.

He smirked. “It’s gonna be a surprise.”

Rohit soon pulled off from Saw Nick’s and drove up the road, where there were only few cars driving by.

The streetlamps and neon lights of the commercial places also lit up the area, so it wasn’t too foreboding.

The pair were quiet during the short drive, which felt much longer to the vampire heiress, as she apprehensively contemplated where they could be going at this time. ‘It’s nighttime—prime time. We’ve gotta be careful.’ She clenched her fists, as she gazed out the window, memorizing and scanning the scene for danger. ‘Hopefully this store is in a public place with a well-lit parking lot.’ And to her credit, Ton Mart was located in a plaza with stores wrapping around the centralized building amidst a bright and mostly empty lot. “What are we doing here?” Ingrid asked, undoing her seatbelt.

“I was thinking about the blood bags…” Rohit responded, glancing over at them.

“What about them?”

“I think they need their own fridge.”

The young woman widened her eyes and asked what he meant.

“We can store it in my room discreetly and just use it for your blood bags,” he explained.

“But, Rohit,” she objected, “a fridge is pretty big. How’s it gonna hide inside your room? Your parents are gonna notice it at some point.”

“Not if it’s a mini fridge,” the young man corrected with a wink.

Ingrid jolted, then smiled. “A-Are you sure?” she bashfully asked, her cold skin warming up. “I don’t wanna take up too much room… My clothes alone are gonna have to fit somewhere too…”

“It’s okay.” He carelessly waved his hand to the side. “Come on, let’s go see if they have one. They might even have one of those temporary closets for you to hang your clothes in too.”

Without another word, Ingrid grinned again, her cheeks turning a rosy color. She placed a hand over her chest before stepping out of the car and joining Rohit, as they proceeded to enter the department store known for their guaranteed lowest prices.