A tall brown haired man stood next to you.

He handed you the pot, a small smile on his face. "Thanks!" You took the pot, a smile on your face. The man looked incredibly neat, dressed in a suit with slicked back hair. "Not a problem, wouldn't want to cause a mess, would we?" He spoke rather fast, and you struggled keeping up with him. "Y/n, i found the pancake mix." You turned to see Lukas  stand at the end of the aisle. "Who're you?" he asked the man who stood besides you.

"Mark," he replied with a smile. He offered you a handshake. "Y/n, nice to meet you!" Lukas joined your side, wary. "I take it the two of you are new, no?" You were about to speak before Lukas cut you off. "Yeah, how could you tell?" Mark chuckled. "Not a whole lot of people come to this part of the city, really. Mostly regulars. I work in socials settings a lot," he explained. Lukas only nodded. "Huh." You gave him a small nudge, silently motioning for him to be more respectful. "It's quite alright," Mark assured you. "You have every right to be suspicious, this city isn't the safest." He smiled as he turned to Lukas. "But you'd know that, right?" Without any further words, he turned on his heel and left. "What the hell does that mean?" You hissed to him. Lukas refused to reply, grabbing your sleeve. "We need to go." He dragged you to the empty check out line. The cashier checked all of the items, confused by Lukas' panicked visage.  Lukas hastily paid, grabbed your groceries and dragged you out. "I absolutely don't trust the look that guy was giving us." Was the only explanation you received. "He most definitely was planning something, you could see it too, right?" You only nodded, the situation going by too fast to speak.

It was now dark outside, only amplifying your unease. Lukas seemed on edge, his grip on your wrist almost crushing. You could swear you saw a figure in the corner of your eye, but it vanished just as quickly. It was difficult to keep up with your roommate, taking steps as fast as you could. You decided not to speak up, this was no time to argue. Not in the pitch dark, at least.

Once you got to your apartment, Lukas slammed the door shut behind you. Lukas dumped the groceries on the kitchen island, before taking a deep breath. "I.. sorry about that." He stood with his back towards you. "What was all that about?" You asked. Lukas took a while to respond, tucking his hands in his pockets. "It just uh, triggered some memories is all." You raised your brow. He turned back to look at you. "It doesn't matter. Safe to say that guy can't be trusted. With a shaky breath he took the groceries out of the back. "How about we just forget it for now?" You wanted to continue asking, but the pleading crack in his tone made you reconsider. "Alright then," you gave in. Seemingly more at ease, Lukas offered a small smile. You grabbed the pancake mix, and began  making your meal.

The tension had seemed to settle, until you felt hot air on your neck. It couldn't have been Lukas, he was standing besides you. You glanced over your shoulder, finding nothing there. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up as you heard someone whisper in your ear once more. "Am i making you nervous?" A familiar, taunting tone asked. You ignored it, refusing to give whatever was haunting you the satisfaction of seeing you freak out. Lukas had finished the last stack of pancakes, silent as he moved them to the table.  You grabbed a few plates, along with cutlery, and joined him.

As you were talking and eating, the presence never seemed to truly leave. "Are you ignoring me? How very childish of you." It sounded in your right ear. Your body involuntarily tensed, causing Lukas to pause mid bite. "Is everything okay?" He asked.  You weighed your options, but the knowing look he gave you told you that he already knew. "Just.. i thought i heard something," you mumbled. On edge once more, Lukas took a good look around him. "Don't see anything," he mumbled, before coming looking back to face you. "You reckon it's the book?" You could only shrug. "You're really pale, are you sure you're okay?" Getting no reaction out of you, he sighed. "Maybe you should call it a night, i'll clean everything up." You put down your utensils, agreeing. You made your way back to your bedroom in silence. You brushed your teeth, changed your clothes, and laid down.

It didn't take long for sleep to wash over you.