Inktober 2024 - 11 - Snacks

A couple is sitting on a park bench at night-time. They picked a spot away from the lampposts placed along the path so they could canoodle in peace, but at one point the man does break from the embrace to question his paramour:

"Are you hungry?" he asks as he tucks a strand of her hair back behind her ear.

"I could eat," she answers with a shrug.

"What do you feel like?"

She laughs a tinkling laugh.

"Wouldn't it be typically feminine of me not to know what I want for dinner?"

"Playing into clichés has never suited you."

As he looks away, straightening the seam of his jacket on his thigh, playing bored, she rolls her eyes.

"How about Indian?" she offers.

"Indian? Why don't you suggest Mexican, while you're at it? At this time of night, in this part of town, fat chance of coming across something like that."

"Korean?"

"You might as well say Japanese. We could maybe work with Chinese…"

His eyes narrow as he ponders the possible places nearby where they might find such delicacies. One elbow on the back of the bench, resting her head on her fist, his beloved takes this opportunity to observe him longingly. The deeper he thinks, the cuter he gets; and he always thinks so hard when it comes to food.

"I'm guessing Thai is also out," she continues playfully.

"You guess correctly."

The passing silhouettes of a few evening runners in the distance, and the discreet sound of bushes being disturbed, some way to their left, shortly catch her attention and that seems to inspire her:

"Well I'm not eating fast or street food."

"What's your take on vegan?"

"That never sits well with me."

"There's always Italian."

"Don't you remember we had some of that yesterday?"

"Really? I must have not recognised the taste."

"You're so spoiled!" she teases.

Grinning widely, she shoves him softly. His embarrassment at the lack of refinement of his palate is ludicrous. That's the reason why he always tries to impress her with fancy meals from exotic places, but he should know he does not need to do that.

"So what? Do we go local?" he practically whines, as if the mere thought was appalling.

Laughing again, she leans towards him and reaches under his chin with her index finger:

"I do have an idea to keep things interesting regardless of origin," she whispers mysteriously.

Letting her guide him up, he catches her hand as she slips it into his, and follows suit as she races away deeper into the wooded area of the park. Soon, he starts hearing something. That must be what gave her her idea. She does have much better hearing than he does. A woman is pleading for help as two thugs are attacking her, but there's no one around. No one but them.

His girlfriend's fangs reach the first miscreant's neck before he has time to see her coming, and he takes care of the other one almost as quickly. Two midnight snacks and a woman saved? How thrifty.