The car is still running even after I've spent twenty minutes sitting outside the apartment complex where Danny lives. The light above the entryway flickers, daring me to get out of the car. But I'm not ready.

It's late, but he could still be awake. I left my phone at home, so I can't call him. You're already here, I think to myself. With a huff, I turn off the engine and exit the car. On weak legs, I make my way over to the callbox outside of the door.

I scan the list of names and apartment numbers, my finger trailing the buttons until it finds the button for apartment 303. I whisper a short prayer before pressing it.

There's no answer. I swear under my breath and try again. A solid minute goes by and still no response. I call one more time, telling myself if he doesn't pick up, I'll leave and go...somewhere else. Definitely not home, but somewhere else.

On its fourth ring, there's a brief static hiss and a groggy, irritated voice comes through the speaker.

"Hello?"

I suck in a breath. "Hey, it's me. Claire."

"Claire?" His voice comes through clearer as if he leaned in close. "It's late," he says, and then quickly adds, "Is everything okay?"

As he asks that question, I feel tears well in my eyes. But I blink them away. "Can I come up? I really need to talk to you."

Without a second delay, the door buzzes. I open it and go inside quickly, not wanting anyone to follow in behind me. This early in the morning, there's no one hanging around and the elevator is empty. I take the short ride to the third floor and move around the corner to where Danny's apartment is.

He's already waiting in the open door when I round the corner. Shirtless. My eyes wander over his raven black chest hairs but snap back up to his face when he takes a step toward me.

"What's going on, Claire?" He asks when I'm in arms reach. "It's three in the morning."

I nod. "I know." I look down. "I know."

Danny takes me into his arms, and the warmth from his chest calms me. I didn't realize how much I was shaking until now, but I begin to steady myself. He pulls away before I want him to, but I don't protest. He guides me inside and closes the door behind us.

We sit on his sofa together. His eyes dutifully search my face. "Do you need anything? Water? Coffee?"

I laugh. "Coffee is probably a bad idea right now."

Color creeps into his cheeks. "Right, sorry." He gives me a shy smile, but it soon disappears. "Talk to me, Claire. You're freaking me out."

"Something happened," I whisper as if I don't want to say it out loud. "I think if anyone would believe me, it would be you." I shake my head. "I don't think I even fully believe it myself."

He puts his hand on my leg. "I'm listening."

"I..." The thought of saying it forces me to pause. Can I really say it? "I saw...something. In my house."

From the way he searches my eyes, I know he knows what I'm getting at. He knows I'm not freaked out about something trivial. He knows I mean something paranormal. "What'd you see?"

"The night we got back from Grimwood, I saw —" My throat catches. "I saw my grandmother." I swallow hard, tears burning in my eyes. "She died when I was twelve."

Danny's lips part as he sucks in air. "Claire..."

I blink hard, and a tear crashes onto my cheek. "I been avoiding my house because I didn't know — I didn't understand — but tonight..." My chest feels like it's hosting a raging fire and it can't be put out. It just spreads until everything around it has been lit. "Tonight I saw her again. In Emma's room — Nana's old room."

When I close my eyes, I see the ventilator and the Holter monitor and I can hear the hissing and beeping of the machines. And I see her lying in the dark only lightly glowing from the night light beside the bed. And then I see her. Mom.

"I saw my mom too," I tell him, and he tilts his head curiously. "She was talking to me — not me, but like...me when I was younger. I saw them both. Me and Mom."

Danny leans in closer. "It's okay. Keep going."

I inhale sharply. "When Mom left the room, I could hear her and my dad fighting in the living room, and when I looked, I saw them both." I cover my face with my hands. "It was like they were teleported back from fifteen years in the past."

"Whoa."

Moving my hands, I meet his eyes. "I don't know what's real and what isn't." I look away and focus on something else. I scan his wooden bookshelf and read the titles on display. So many occult-related books. "I didn't believe before — hell, I don't know if I do now, but what else would explain it? I'm hallucinating? Did I inhale fumes at Grimwood or something?"

He laughs dryly. "I doubt that."

"Then what is it? What's happening to me?"

"I don't know what it is, but," he pauses and takes my hands into his. "I believe you, Claire." He scoots closer. "And something is happening to me too."

My eyes widen. "Seriously?"

He nods. "I didn't fully understand it, but hearing from you made me realize that it must be connected to what happened at Grimwood."

I lean toward him as if we're having a private conversation. As if aren't alone. "Tell me everything. I don't know if it can convince me of the supernatural, but I want you to tell me everything."

Then he tells me. How when he was a baby, a woman broke into their house. His mother woke up to him crying over the baby monitor. When she checked the video feed, she saw the strange woman standing over his crib. His mother was the only one home at the time, so she panicked. She called the police and ran to Danny's bedroom. When she got there, there was no one else there. The police checked the house when they arrived. There was no sign of forced entry anywhere, and the house was cleared. His mom slept on the floor next to the crib after they left.

Two nights later, she woke up in the middle of the night. Nothing physically woke her, but she felt what she described as a presence. She checked Danny's monitor and saw the woman standing over the crib again. Panic ensued and she phoned the police again. And again, when she went into the bedroom, the woman was nowhere to be seen. The police were upset, and she had no proof. But she knew in her gut that someone was in the house despite the searches that proved otherwise.

Later that night, Danny's mother woke again to a presence, this one much more physical. When she opened her eyes, she saw the woman. But instead of standing over her, she was hovering over her, their bodies parallel. His mother was in shock as she stared back at the woman who had shock white hair and wore a dirtied old dress. When his mother opened her mouth to speak, to say something, anything, the woman opened hers and let out a strangled scream.

Danny's father stopped working nights. His mother moved the crib into their room for a few months. But after that night, she never saw the woman again. Her interest in the paranormal didn't die either. She told that story to anyone who would listen, including Danny when he was old enough.

As he tells me this, my mind wants to debunk it, to pick it apart and find the plotholes. But this is Danny, and how could I do that to him after he listened to my rambling mess of a story without judgment? So, I do my best to tell my mind to shut the hell up.

"I saw the woman," he says. "At least, I think it was her." He wraps his arms around himself, which makes my heart drop. "I don't remember seeing her as a baby, so all I know is how my mom described her. And that description matches pretty damn close to what I saw."

"How long ago?" I ask.

He meets my eyes. "I saw her in Grimwood. When we were in the entryway filming, I saw something move really quickly. It looked like her — the white hair and dress..." He takes a breath. "Then I saw her again later that night. I brought Seth and Georgia home, and then I came here. I washed my face in the bathroom and when I looked up, I saw her in the mirror." He runs his hand over his face. "I thought I had water in my eyes so I went to bed. But the other night, I woke up to her over my bed. She screamed so loudly, I thought my ears were bleeding."

"Oh my God, Danny," I hold my hand over my mouth. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," he says defeatedly. "But something is wrong."

I nod, biting my lip. "I know." I don't know if I quite believe in the paranormal yet, but something is wrong. Very wrong.

As I think about it all, what I've seen, what I've felt, I feel my eyes tear up and my vision goes blurry. "I don't want to go home," I say as I try to hold back a sob. "I'm scared, Danny."

He wraps his arms around me and begins to rub soothing circles in my back as I rest my chin on his shoulder. "It's okay," he whispers in my ear. "I got you."

My breathing begins to subside, and I feel safe. Comfortable. All because of him. I pull my head away from his shoulder and I stop when my face is inches from his. I glance down at his mouth, and I press my lips against him without a second thought.

He kisses me back with just as much ferocity, but he lets out a groan and pulls back after a minute. I stare back at him, disappointed. "What's wrong?" I ask him, my hands sliding down his chest.

He shakes his head. "You're upset right now. Maybe now isn't —"

I lean forward, brushing my lips over his. "I want to," I saw before I kiss him quickly. "I need this," I add breathlessly. "I need you."

No more negotiation. He accepts. He kisses me again, even more passionately. He lies me down underneath him on the couch, and his body encloses me in a comforting warmth I need to erase this terrible night.

Just me and him. No ghosts, no strange phenomena. Only him.

Current word count: 16,498