The house was quiet—eerily so, the kind of silence that wrapped around your senses like a warm blanket. With everyone supposedly out for the day, it felt like the perfect time to unwind, to let yourself indulge in a private moment you rarely had the freedom for. The soft hum of your bedroom fan was the only sound in the background as you let your guard down, the door closed and locked behind you.

You settled comfortably beneath the covers, heart starting to race for reasons entirely different from nerves. Your mind wandered, and the world outside seemed to blur away, replaced by the rhythm of your own breath and the rising heat under your skin.

What you didn't know—what you couldn’t have known—was that your brother, Elias, had returned unexpectedly, along with his ever-curious best friend, James. They were loud coming in, but you'd been too far gone to hear the slam of the front door or the casual banter echoing down the hall.

“Dude, I swear I left my charger in their room yesterday,” James said, already halfway down the hallway. Elias didn’t stop him—he never did when James got like this.

A few moments later, without warning, your bedroom door flew open. James burst in like a whirlwind, grinning and ready to pester you, only to freeze mid-step.

You both stared at each other.

The color drained from his face just as quickly as yours flushed deep red. For a split second, neither of you spoke—a suspended moment of pure, mortifying silence. James’ eyes went wide, his mouth opened slightly as if to say something, but no words came.

Then—

“Oh my god,” he stammered, spinning around so fast he nearly tripped over himself. “I—I didn’t see anything! I swear!”

From down the hall, Elias’ voice called out, “James? What are you doing?”

James bolted, shouting back, “Nothing! Nothing at all! Don’t go in there!”

You stared at the ceiling, heart thundering, pulse racing for an entirely different reason now.

So much for peace and quiet.