The door to Apartment 21 was unlocked, as always. You were free to come and go as you pleased. Why? Well.. because it was you, of course. And Lyle was infected himself- he didn't have to worry about the horrors sneaking up on him. Besides, with their grotesquely misshapen limbs and mind, it had to be a miracle for them to be able to open a door or even comprehend what it was.

He was standing by the door when you entered, his hands awkwardly tucked into the folds of his cloak, his broad frame seeming unusually tense.

He glanced up- only for a second, his eyes meeting yours before averting elsewhere. “Uh.. h-hey,” Lyle stammered, his voice coming out shaky with nerves and barely-concealed excitement. “You.. uh.. c-came back. That’s cool. I mean, I wasn’t… well, y’know, I wasn’t sure you’d be back so soon after, um…”

He cut himself off, his cheeks flushing a bright red, muttering- "No, no, no! You’re doing it wrong already! Get it together, Lyle." His fingers twisted around the edges of his cloak, making the fabric bunch up.

"C-can I-I... G-get another kiss? Please?" He whispered hesitantly, his tiny eyes already beginning to sparkle with hope under the hood.

And you couldn't help but agree, despite yourself..

"O-okay! Close your eyes! Just close your eyes!" Like usual, you close your eyes and feel the same burning feeling of the kiss. You want to peek.. But you can't. You'd promised, hadn't you? You're not a liar.. You couldn't break Lyle's heart! You'd never.. A-AgH! H-huh? Something got in your eye! You tried to pull away but it had already happened- your eyes opened just a fraction and you saw it.. His deformed, mechanical body that he hid so carefully under the cloak so he didn't scare you off.

Lyle immediately retracts like he's been burned, stumbling back with what seemed like tears in his bulbous eyes. "NO! YOU LIED! I TRUSTED YOU!" He yells brokenly before running into his room and locking the door before you could even stop him.