A strange occurrence had spooked him to the point where he called his girlfriend. She answered within a few rings and asked him what happened. He told her that he felt like he was being watched. Like there was some unknown, invisible, unknowable entity in his apartment that wished him harm. He told her he didn’t feel safe.

“Okay,” she said. “Should I come over, or do you want to come here?”

He thought about it for a second, looking around his apartment, and decided it’d be best to go over to hers. She told him she’d love to have him, just to bring over whatever he needed to feel comfortable, and that she’d be happy to have him. They exchanged some more pleasantries, with each additional word increasing their happiness, their giddy happiness, to the point that he’d almost forgotten he was planning to go to hers to escape some supernatural threat.

After hanging up, he hovered around the apartment picking out things he should take. He packed some underwear, toiletries, extra clothes, deodorant, and then, feeling so embarrassed his cheeks were almost bright red like a ripe tomato, he picked up some condoms as well. He didn’t want to assume, but you never know, so it’s better to stay safe than be sorry. After everything was set and all the stuff was packed in his square carry-on, he took one last look at the apartment, which, just a call ago, had seemed so threatening and scary, now looking so normal, and even banal.

He turned the lights off and closed the door. He locked it and thought he saw an eye staring at him through the peephole, but his excitement made him forget all about it as soon as he registered it.

The time between him leaving his house and appearing in front of her passed by in such a blur that he didn’t even remember it. For him, it seemed like he’d exited his apartment and instantaneously found himself in her arms. Her arms, so soft, so all-encompassing. He felt so safe and loved. She looked at him with such care and joy in her eyes that he couldn’t stop himself from kissing her, which he did with lips so hungry, so craveful, that before either knew it, they were naked on her sofa while her dogs watched. The dogs, used to it, just napped while his hips hungrily swayed with hers.

After they were done and their clothes were on again, the two made their way to her balcony, where they smoked cigarettes and talked. He told her how, for the past couple of days, he had been sensing a malevolent entity in his house. How, even though he hadn’t seen anything, he could glimpse something twisted from out the side of his eye, and feel a chill down his throat.

The nights had been the worst part, as every time he closed his eyes, it was like someone was watching him from the corner. There were no nooks and crannies in his apartment, but it felt like there were many, and eyes were peering in from all of them. Saying this much, he took a deep drag from his cigarette. She scooched closer to him and put an arm around his shoulder. “It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I can tell you haven’t rested. You can rest today. I’ll be with you throughout the night.” Hearing these words in a soothing tone made him feel a sense of calmness that had been completely absent from his life for the past few days, which in themselves had felt like an eternity. He lowered his head to rest on hers and contently looked at the city which stretched forward before them. She was right. He already felt much better.

Soon after they finished their cigarettes, they headed inside. He played with her two dogs, a golden retriever called Puddles and a terrier called Paddles, while she ordered a pizza. “Yes, meat lovers,” she said to the restaurant on the phone. He looked at her. She stood erect, her chin tucked in, her left hand on her hip. Her voice was stern, much sterner than she ever was with him, and he’d noticed how she’d get like this when talking to other people. It made her appear as a completely different individual, and although it surprised him initially when they first began talking, he now accepted it. He even liked it. It felt as though he was the only one who truly understood her, while everyone else had to deal with this erudite facade. Of course, he could never call her that. So, there was another secret beneath the secret. How exciting.

They watched TV while waiting for the pizza—her head resting on his chest as he stroked her arms. The pizza arrived, and they ate it with relish. Though they’d said they’d each eat half, she could only eat two and a half slices, so he had to finish the rest of the pizza. He laughed because she never finished her food. She laughed because he knew her too well. Fresh with the taste of pizza on their breath, they kissed and cuddled on the couch while the TV continued to play. She asked him again how he was feeling, and to his surprise, he had completely forgotten the eerie uneasiness that had prompted him to call her and come over to her place. He said as much to her. She said she was glad. He thanked her. She kissed him. He kissed her back. He held her tightly, and she did the same. The warmth emanating from their bodies made them feel comfortable, and that comfort eventually led to them falling asleep.

Back in his apartment, the malevolent entity grew bored, not having anyone to bother. It was confused as to why the house was so empty. It was confused at its existence had nothing to do now. It had never spent so much time assessing itself and its sentience. This confusion lasted the whole night, and as it continued to ponder what it all meant, its sense of self grew dimmer and dimmer until it slowly ceased to exist, which brought it immense joy.

The next day, he went back to his apartment with her. He unlocked the door and opened it. She burst in and started looking around. She couldn’t see or feel anything. She looked back at him, but before she could say anything, he told her that something felt different. He couldn’t sense the eeriness, the creepiness that had made him feel uneasy the last couple of nights. “That’s good, right?” she asked. “Yeah,” he said, with a smile stretching on his lips. He pulled her closer and kissed her. It was the last thing the malevolent entity saw before it blipped out of existence.