"Mmm..." Liz's voice is a silky purr against my ear as she pins my wrists above my head.
Her weight feels deliciously familiar on top of me, her blonde hair cascading around us like a curtain.
"Liz?" My voice cracks with emotion. "Is it really you?"
She smiles, that crooked half-smile that always made my heart skip. "Of course it's me, silly." Her grip tightens on my wrists as she lowers her head, dragging her tongue slowly up the side of my neck. "I miss you," she whispers against my skin.
My heart sinks like a stone in my chest. There's something wrong about the way she says it, present tense like we're still apart. Like this isn't real.
"Don't leave me again," I beg, struggling against her grip, desperate to hold her.
She pulls back, looking down at me with sad eyes. "Oh, Ben..." Her face begins to ripple, features melting like wax.
I jolt awake with a gasp, heart hammering against my ribs. The bedroom is dark except for the faint red glow of my alarm clock: 4:13 AM. I blink, disoriented, as I register the soft click of my bedroom door shutting.
Amy slips back into the room, her silhouette barely visible in the darkness. Her movements are quick and careful.
"Where did you go?" I mumble, voice thick with sleep. My mind is still half-trapped in the dream, Liz's face fading like smoke.
"Shhhh, go back to sleep, darling," Amy whispers, gliding toward the bed. "I was just in the bathroom."
She slides under the sheets, her body cool against mine. As she settles beside me, I notice something odd she seems smaller somehow, more compact than usual. But my exhausted brain can't process what this might mean.
Amy gently guides my head to rest on her chest, her fingers combing through my hair in slow, hypnotic strokes. "Sleep my darling," she murmurs, her voice a soothing melody.
I'm already drifting, consciousness slipping away like water through my fingers. "I didn't know you used the bathroom," I mumble against her skin.
"There are lots of reasons to use the bathroom, Ben," she whispers, a strange edge to her voice.
Her words wash over me as I drift back to sleep, my mind fading into darkness.
My eyes open next to sunlight streaming through the blinds. The digital clock on my nightstand reads 8:27 AM. My eyes immediately find Amy standing by the dresser, her body rippling and shifting like liquid being poured from one container to another. The casual pajamas she wore last night melt away, replaced by a T-shirt and Jeans.
"Hey, good morning, darling," she says, catching my reflection in the mirror. Her smile is bright, almost too perfect.
"Good morning," I mumble, rubbing sleep from my eyes. Something feels off, but I can't quite place it.
"I need to go to class today, okay?" she says, smoothing down her clothes. "You should, too."
I sit up, stretching my arms above my head. Amy looks different somehow, back to her normal size. I guess I was making it up after all.
"Yeah, it's about time," I nod, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. "I've missed too many already."
Amy walks to me and cradles my face in her hands, leaning down to press her lips against mine. What starts as a gentle kiss quickly intensifies as her tongue extends, impossibly long, wrapping around my own in a way that should be horrifying but instead sends electricity down my spine.
When she finally pulls away, her eyes are glowing that intense purple. "Remember," she whispers, "you're all mine."
"How could I forget?" I say, trying to make it sound like a joke, but we both know it's not.
She beams at me, reaching out to smooth my bedhead. "Just don't forget."
I grab a clean t-shirt from my drawer and pull it on. The apartment is spotless, cleaner than it's been since Amy moved in. The dirty dishes that had been piling up in the sink are gone, the countertops gleaming.
"Did you clean last night?" I call out as Amy follows me into the kitchen.
"Maybe," she says with a playful smile.
I head to the living room, where I'd dumped my textbooks after Amy moved in. I start gathering them, sliding each one into my backpack with mechanical precision. Economics, Biology, World History, it feels weird returning to normal student life after everything that's happened.
Amy follows me, hovering close by as I zip up the backpack. Her presence is both comforting and suffocating, like being wrapped in a weighted blanket during a heatwave.
"I'll see you later," she says, reaching up to fix my collar with an oddly domestic gesture.
I pause, a thought suddenly occurring to me. "Do you have a key? To get back in if I'm not here?"
She laughs, the sound like tinkling glass. "I don't need a key, silly." She holds up her index finger, and I watch in fascination as it lengthens, flattens, and morphs into a perfect copy of my apartment key.
"Right," I mutter, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. "Stupid question."
Another thought hits me. "Do you have a phone? So we can keep in touch while we're apart?"
Amy's brow furrows as she considers this, her finger morphing back to normal. "It's in my dorm room," she says after a moment's hesitation. "I'll grab it later."
"Okay." I tear a piece of paper from a nearby notebook and scribble my number on it. "Here," I say, pressing the note into her palm. "If you need me for anything at all, call me, okay?"
She takes the paper, a wide smile spreading across her face as she tucks it into her pocket. "Aww, you're worried about me."
"Yes, and I'm worried about you killing someone," I say bluntly, meeting her gaze. "Promise me you won't kill anyone."
Amy's smile falters, her eyes darkening slightly as she considers my request. The silence stretches between us, lasting uncomfortably long.
Finally, instead of answering, she steps forward, pressing her body against mine as she captures my lips in another passionate kiss.
When she pulls away, her eyes are glowing that vibrant purple. "Have a good day at school, darling," she purrs, completely ignoring my request.
I open my mouth to press the issue, but she places a finger against my lips. "I'll be good," she says, though her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes. "As good as I can be, anyway."
"Good enough," I mutter, grabbing my keys from the counter. I walk out, pausing at the threshold. "Just lock up when you leave."
"Of course," she replies sweetly, her voice carrying that predatory undertone I've come to recognize.
The door closes behind me with a soft click that feels strangely final. For the first time in days, I'm alone. No Amy watching my every move, no supernatural presence hovering at the edge of my awareness. Just me, walking across campus with my backpack slung over one shoulder.
The mundane normalcy of it all feels surreal after everything that's happened. Students hurry past me, laughing and chatting, completely oblivious to the fact that there's a shape-shifting slime creature living in our midst.
I navigate to my first class on autopilot, barely registering my surroundings until I'm sliding into a seat near the back of the lecture hall. Economics 301.
Riley walks in a few minutes later, scanning the room before her eyes land on me. She smiles and waves, making her way over.
"Hey, glad to see you're feeling better," she says, sliding into the seat next to mine with a wide grin.
"Thanks," I say, forcing a smile. "Just needed a few days to deal with some personal stuff."
Riley nods sympathetically. "I totally get it. College can be overwhelming sometimes." She tucks a strand of red hair behind her ear, her gaze lingering on me a beat longer than necessary. "By the way, was that girl with you at Applebee's your fiancée? You two seemed close."
I nearly choke on my own spit. "No, no, she's just my..." I trail off, unsure how to define what Amy is to me. Girlfriend? Captor? Eldritch horror with boundary issues?
"She's my girlfriend," I finish lamely. "It's pretty new."
Riley leans closer, her eyes fixed on me with an intensity that seems different from before. "What's her name? She seemed very into you."
"Amy," I say, watching Riley's face closely for any reaction.
Riley's expression doesn't change, not even a flicker of recognition. She just nods, twirling her pencil between her fingers with unusual dexterity.
"Amy," she repeats, testing the name on her tongue. "Cool name. So what's her deal? She was pretty protective at Applebee's."
I shift uncomfortably in my seat, unsure how much to reveal. "She's just... intense sometimes. Doesn't really get social boundaries."
Riley laughs, leaning back in her seat. "That's putting it mildly. The way she was staring daggers at me, I thought she might leap across the table."
I wince, remembering Amy's possessive behavior. "Yeah, sorry about that. She was just really excited about Applebees."
"Hey, no judgment here," Riley says, raising her hands defensively. "Passion is good, right? Better than indifference."
"True."
I study her face for a moment. There's something different about her today, her movements seem almost like Amy's, her expressions slightly exaggerated. Maybe it's just that I'm seeing her in daylight rather than the dim lighting of Applebee's.
'Not everyone is a Slime monster, Ben.'
"Hey, Ben," Riley says, her voice suddenly softer as she leans slightly closer. "I was thinking... maybe we could be friends? I noticed you seem pretty alone most of the time, and I could help you catch up with what you missed in Econ."
I chuckle, rubbing the back of my neck. The only friend I even have right now is Amy, and considering how weird things have been lately, having someone normal to talk to might be good for my sanity. Plus, catching up in class would definitely help.
"Sure, why not?" I say with a shrug. "I could use the help, honestly."
Riley's face lights up with a smile that seems almost too wide, her teeth impossibly white against her lips. "Great! We'll be the best of friends, Ben. The absolute best."
Something about her enthusiasm strikes me as odd, but before I can dwell on it, Professor Harmon strides into the lecture hall, commanding everyone's attention with her booming voice.
"Welcome back, everyone. Today, we're discussing the economic impact of abortion."