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I shook my head but fell into step with him.

“Not in the mood for tacos and tequila?” he asked.

“I know Tess. Tacos and tequila would lead to dancing or karaoke. Maybe a drag bar. And that would turn into some trip to some super-secret underground club that I am not cool enough for. I just want some cupcakes, a book, and some sleep.”

“What kind of cupcakes?”

“Pistachio.”

“That’s an interesting choice.”

“It has a whipped topping frosting. It’s not as sweet. It’s my go-to if I’m not baking for anyone else.”

“I see.”

“Did you ever have a cupcake? I don’t really know when they were invented.”

“I think that was around the late 18th century. They called them ‘Number Cakes’ at that time. But to answer your question, no. Not in the current iteration. We had cakes, but they were dense and not nearly as sweet.”

“Well, if you ever decide to take that new medication, I will make you cupcakes.”

“New medication?”

“They run ads for it constantly during your show. Which is actually kind of targeted. Maybe a little speciesist. There’s a new medication they developed to return human taste and hunger to a vampire. I think they made it to help with that thing where people lost their taste for months or years after getting a virus. But they found out it works for vampires too. Temporarily, anyway.”

“Interesting.”

“Would you ever try it?”

“Perhaps.”

“What food do you miss most?”

“Food in my day is not like food is today,” he said. “But I always enjoyed fresh-baked bread.”

“Right? Tess thinks I’m so weird because I smell the rolls when we buy them for sandwiches and say it’s the best smell ever.”

“I can still appreciate the scent, even if it doesn’t have that same scent/taste connection.”

I was surprised how easy it was to slip into a normal, casual conversation after having such a heavy conversation on the show. I mean, he had no idea it was me. But I did. Yet, it was easy to talk about baked goods and tastes.

We reached my apartment before we ran out of food talk.

“Thanks for the totally unnecessary walk home,” I said, giving him a smile. “I appreciate it.”

“Enjoy your book and cupcakes.”

With that, he waited for me to get inside.

Then turned and walked away.

I stood there for a moment, wondering—genuinely wondering—if he was, as I accused, lonely.

Sure, I was single.

But I had Tess, Margo, and all the people at the station. I never really saw Silas interacting with anyone but Jack and Rupert. And I think we could all agree that a ghost didn’t really count.

As he wandered off into the night, he very much looked like a man who hadn’t known anything soft or warm for years.