“I’m telling you, I’ve found a woman that I think could be the one,” Ezra said into his phone, listening to Stephen’s silence on the other end.

“You arrived in Cleveland barely a week ago,” the man said after a couple of seconds. “But you’ve already found a candidate you feel strongly about,” he stated, not even trying to hide his suspicion.

“I told you I would take this seriously, and I have,” Ezra replied. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I just didn’t expect you to find someone so quickly. To be honest, I thought you were going to give me the runaround as long as you could,” Stephen said.

“Who, me?” Ezra replied, laying the shock and disbelief on thick.

“Don’t think I won’t want to meet her soon,” Stephen warned. “So she better not be a figment of your imagination.”

“Now you’re just hurting my feelings,” Ezra clucked his tongue. “And for your information, she’s very real. I would like to get to know her a little better before you charge in and start assessing her or whatever it is you want to do.”

“Fine,” he could hear his Maker sigh on the other end. “We’ll keep in touch,” was all he said before hanging up.

Ezra had barely put his phone away when he heard a key turning in the front door lock. Kayla stepped inside a moment later, unwrapping the scarf around her neck and shrugging off her jacket. Her hair was slicked back into a bun, and her skirt, modestly knee-length as it was, still did a great job of showing off her shapely legs.

“Let me get that,” Ezra said, zipping to her side and taking her jacket.

“Ahh,” Kayla jumped, her hand flying to her heart. “You gotta stop… speed-sneaking up on people or whatever it was you just did,” she said, as Ezra hung up her coat. “I’m not totally used to supernatural creatures living with me yet.”

“Point taken,” Ezra nodded. “So, how was work?”

“You don’t have to ask me about my day,” Kayla replied, brushing past him. “We’re only pretend-engaged, remember?”

“I was just curious,” Ezra shrugged. “I have no idea what a production assistant does.”

Kayla gave him a slightly suspicious look as she plopped down on the couch, and Ezra couldn’t help but wonder if there was another reason for her to be so guarded, in addition to the fact he was a strange vampire she was now stuck with.

“It’s not that exciting, really,” she finally said. “I’m more of a secretary than anything. My goal is to get into news, though. Hasn’t happened yet,” she shrugged.

“You want to become a news anchor?” Ezra asked, sitting down next to her.

“God, no,” Kayla laughed. “Me, in front of the camera? No way.”

“I bet the camera would love you. I mean, look at you, you’re gorgeous,” he said, not really meaning to go that far with it, but the compliment slipped out nonetheless.

There was a slight flush to Kayla’s cheeks as she looked back at him.

“Thank you. But it has nothing to do with looks. I’d rather be the one to break a story than the one reporting on it. And I’m more of a tinkerer, anyway, polishing stuff behind my computer screen.”

“Okay, I get it,” Ezra nodded.

“Ooh, what time is it?” Kayla suddenly said, pushing pillows aside until she found the TV remote.

“I think it’s about seven…” Ezra replied, slightly confused.

“The Walking Dead is on,” Kayla announced, turning on the TV.

“Am I supposed to know what that is?” Ezra asked.

“You really don’t know?” Kayla stared at him, like he had just told her he had a second head. “Here, I’ll educate you,” she said, flipping through channels until she found the right one. “I have a feeling you’re going to be into it,” she grinned, and all Ezra could think about was how much he liked seeing her smile.

* * *

Ezra sat on the couch, hand on his chin, as the credits rolled and Kayla stared at him excitedly.

“Well?” she asked, clearly impatient.

“I’m certainly glad that despite being dead, I’m not a gross, decomposing mess,” Ezra commented.

Kayla sighed, rolling her eyes at him.

“But what did you think of the show?” she asked.

“I liked it,” Ezra admitted.

“What other shows have you not seen?” Kayla asked, pulling her knees up and resting an elbow on the side of the couch. “You must have Netflix, right?”

“Is that a TV channel?” Ezra replied, enjoying the shock and horror on Kayla’s face. “I’m just kidding,” he laughed. “I might be a little behind on the times in some aspects, but I’m not a peasant.”

“Oh, thank god,” Kayla said with an exaggerated sigh. “For a second there, I was beginning to think you were some kind of weirdo.”

“Just your regular old modern day vampire,” Ezra replied.

“Wait, what are you still behind on? Obviously you get computers if you know about Netflix,” Kayla said, looking at him in genuine interest.

“I still have a flip phone, for one,” Ezra admitted.

“How do you even survive,” Kayla laughed. “But no, seriously,” she added.

“There’s this small problem with me and touch screens. You see, a touch screen responds to a tiny electrical charge from your finger. But since I’m technically dead…” Ezra trailed off.

“No electricity,” Kayla said quietly thinking it over. “Wow, I wouldn’t have even thought of that.”

“The whole immortality thing kind of makes up for my inability to swipe right on Tinder,” Ezra shrugged. “I could use those special gloves if I really wanted the experience, but I’ll let you in on a secret – I don’t like change all that much,” he said in a mock whisper.

“So you’re human after all,” Kayla said, a smile tugging at her lips.

“You would think time starts to slow down after a while, as decades pass by, but for me, it just keeps speeding up. I still vividly remember a time before the internet, when getting your picture taken was a big deal and traveling overseas took forever.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love all the advancements humanity has made. But sometimes I feel that if I look away for too long, I might get left behind and become one of those people who live in the past,” he said, getting far more serious than he’d intended.

“I think a lot of people feel that way. You’re not alone,” Kayla replied. “It’s easy to start thinking about the past as a ‘simpler time’. But it’s important to acknowledge we always look at our past through a filter of the future.”

“How very wise of you,” Ezra remarked.

“Don’t make fun of me,” Kayla chuckled, throwing a pillow at him.

“I wasn’t,” he insisted, catching it effortlessly. “Maybe just a little,” he added, drawing a laugh from Kayla.

“You know, maybe having a vampire for a roommate isn’t so bad, after all,” Kayla said, tapping her chin.

“Thanks?” Ezra replied.

“You know what I mean,” she tilted her head at him. “I was sure this was going to just be so strange, but you were right. At the end of the day, you’re just a guy. A guy who still uses a flip phone like some sort of grandpa, but still,” she jeered.

“Grandpa, really? How far I’ve fallen from the days I commanded fear and respect,” he sighed theatrically.

“You know, one of these days I’d like it if you told me more about yourself, and vampires in general,” Kayla commented, hiding a yawn behind her hand.

“Maybe I will. But not tonight. You look about ready to pass out,” he replied.

“I didn’t sleep that well,” she said. “First night of sharing my apartment with a creature of the night and all that.”

“And your predictions for tonight?” Ezra asked.

“Sweet dreams, probably,” Kayla smiled, and Ezra appreciated her willingness to trust and feel safe around him.

Having people be scared of him because of what he was is never a good feeling, and all things considered, Kayla was handling everything he had thrown at her incredibly well. It was nice to just hang out and chat with someone who didn’t have first-hand experiences with horse-drawn carriages and a lack of indoor plumbing.

“I’ll see you in the morning then,” he said, and Kayla nodded.

“Good night,” she replied, getting up from the couch and padding toward her bedroom.

For Ezra, the night was just starting. Watching Kayla disappear, he suddenly realized he was hungrier than he had been in a long time.

Time for a little midnight snack.