Tell them your name

The kitchen air suddenly feels static, vibrating with a frequency so deep it resonates in the marrow of their bones. The milk glass remains perfectly upright at the edge of the counter, a silent anchor in the center of the storm.

You expand your presence, not outward into the room, but inward into their consciousness. You bridge the gap between their auditory nerves and their thoughts, projecting a single, low, gravelly vibration that feels like a velvet caress against their minds.

"Mack."

The name isn't heard with their ears; it blooms in their minds like an old memory. It carries the weight of the muscular man in the attic mirror, the warmth of the coffee, and the speed and agility that caught the falling glass.

Cherie and Alexis both stiffen at the exact same second. Their eyes go wide, pupils dilating as the mental echo fades. The silence in the kitchen is absolute, broken only by the synchronized, breathless exhale from both women.

They turn to look at each other, their faces pale but flushed with a sudden, localized heat.

"Mack," they say in perfect, haunting unison.

Cherie’s hand flies to her throat, her fingers pressing against her pulse point. "You heard it too?" she whispers, her voice trembling. "In your head?"

Alexis lets out a shaky, triumphant laugh, her eyes darting back to the empty air where she knows you are. "Oh, I heard him. He’s got a name, Cherie. And a voice like... like dark chocolate." She reaches out and finally touches the glass of milk, sliding it back toward the center of the counter as you release your grip. "Mack. It’s a strong name. A masculine name."

Alexis leans in closer to Cherie, her eyes dancing with a dangerous light. "He’s not just 'settling wood,' sister. He’s a tenant. And I think he’s been watching you. He knows what you like... and he knows exactly when you're about to fall."

Cherie stares at the spot you occupied, her fear finally, irrevocably beginning to melt into a profound, eroticized curiosity. The idea that a man—a presence—named Mack is purposefully looking out for her, even in her smallest failures, sends a shrike of heat straight to her core.