It's All in Your Head

First Date

•Y/N: Your Name
•L/N: Last Name
•M/N: Mother's Name

——————————————————
____________________________________
Your POV:
____________________________________

Thank God, the Boogeyman hasn't showed his face for the entire week, regardless of me sensing him nearby every now and again, but, sadly, his return has caused me to relapse bad. Everything started all over again: the trembling, the vomiting, and I even started biting the skin around my nails again to the point where they'd bleed, which is why all of them are currently covered with bandaids to prevent me from touching them too much. Still, there'd be times where I'd rub the covered spots with the desire to gnaw at the flesh out of anxiety. Pilvrich noticed the sudden change right away and was the only one who gave me any real comfort about it. Often times, he'd offer to stay the night knowing it helps me feel safe, and, every time he offered, I agreed without hesitation.

I fear what the beast has in store for me. He's been gone for so long, so he's had plenty of time to plan something horrible. Perhaps he finally decided to turn me into one of those dreadful monsters from that pit or will cage me like an animal. I'm scared, so very scared. I jump with a small squeal upon hearing a knock on the front door from the living room couch, where I sit. My breathing quickens as I grip my arms tight enough for my nails to sink into the bare flesh. Tears are brought to my eyes as my mother races towards the door to put an end to the persistent knocking, knowing it's frightening me.

"I'll get it!" She rips open the door before speaking in a cheerful tone. "Oh, Keith, how nice to see you again. Sorry, but Y/N isn't feeling well today. You might want to come back some other time." Upon hearing my boyfriend's name, I stand up and slowly make my way over to peek around the doorway of the living room. Sure enough, the blonde stands there with a begging look.

"P-Please, I'd like to talk to her." The boy fiddles with his fingers a bit before avoiding eye contact with my mom, like he'd often do. I kind of wondered why he always gets tense around her, since she's so nice, but, knowing it might be a personal thing, I never asked.

"Oh, well..." mom's eyes drift over to where I hide, and I send her a small nod in acceptance. Being around him might make me feel better. I've been avoiding him again because of the Boogeyman, but I haven't sensed him for the past two days, so it might be okay. I just hope Keith isn't mad at me. I do plan to explain to him why I ran off last time in a hurry. "Come on in, just be gentle. She's been in a delicate state all week." I slip away to go back to my seat, waiting for the boy to join me at any moment.

"I-I will, miss L/N." I instinctively tense when I hear footsteps approaching, but relax when I remind myself of who they belong to.

'It's just Keith. It's just Keith.' When he pops his head into the room, he greets me with a light smile before coming closer. I can't seem to muster one back for him, so I just keep my gaze down and shift in my seat, bringing my knees to my chest. He frowns upon seeing my nervous state.

"Did it come back?" He asks worriedly, but I shake my head.

"N-N-No, not yet, but I've felt him nearby," I respond in a small voice before sniffling and hiding my face in my arms. "I-I'm sorry for r-r-running away. I g-g-got scared."

"It's all right." Keith sits beside me before offering me his hand to hold. I stare at it for a moment before reaching towards it with a shaky hand. Seeing that I was taking a long time to grab it, he meets me halfway and holds it firmly. I nearly flinched, expecting a light grip like the one Pilvrich uses, but it wasn't tight out of anger or anything. It just seemed like he was trying to comfort me. "W-Well, I've g-got a surprise for you at my place, i-if you wanna come, that is. I-I know you're not feeling too good right now, but it'll be quiet, and my dad went out for a bit, so it-it'll only be us. It can be our date."