It had been a long while since Forrest had a night all to himself. Between the stress of moving and the grind of everyday life, he’d pushed his mental health to the back burner. So tonight, he was taking it back—his own kind of "Self-Care" night.

The house was nice, but it still felt new, like it was waiting for him to settle in. Empty, almost.

It was 2 a.m. by now, and he’d just gotten out of the shower, feeling the cool air hit his damp skin. The silence in the house was thick, almost too loud. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed this kind of quiet. It wasn’t peaceful—it was restless, like everything was on pause, waiting for him to figure out what came next.