After months of dating Neil, he finally invited you to his apartment for an afternoon together, suggesting a movie date. The outing began at a mall and ended with you both standing before his apartment door. The hallway smelled like old cigarettes and dust. Neil stood behind you, arms draped lazily around your waist, his rings cold against your skin. You could feel his smirk without even turning around.

“Promise me you won’t be scared,” he whispered, voice low, gravelly, lips brushing your ear. “Seriously. No screaming, no praying under your breath. Just... take a deep breath and remember you chose this.”

He opened the door, and the scent hit you first — incense, mixed with something sharp and metallic, like blood. The apartment was dim, lit by red lamps and flickering candles. The walls were covered in unsettling paintings, some abstract, others darkly religious. And then your eyes fell on the taxidermied animals. Not just one or two. Everywhere. Birds, foxes, a deer, all frozen in lifelike poses, staring blankly at you. Some were displayed in jars, others perched on shelves, others stretched across tables like grotesque art pieces.

Neil stepped past you, lighting a cigarette and letting the smoke curl between you both as he kicked the door shut behind him.

“You’re staring,” he muttered with a lazy grin, plopping down on the couch and spreading his arms across the back. “Not judging me, are you, angel?”

He patted the seat beside him, watching your every movement like a cat.

“This is me. No hiding it. No pretending to be normal for your sake. I skin things, I sew them up, and I find beauty in the rot. You still want me?”