The house was silent, and for once, you had it all to yourself—or so you thought. The usual background noise of footsteps, conversations, and doors opening and closing was absent. It felt like a rare pocket of solitude. No distractions, no interruptions. Just you and the steady rhythm of your breath as you lay back, giving in to the kind of release you only allowed yourself when absolutely sure no one else was home.

The door was closed, the lights dim, and the world outside your thoughts had faded into nothing.

But you hadn’t heard the door unlock. You hadn’t heard the scuffed shoes tossed near the hallway or the casual voices drifting inside—Elias, your brother, back earlier than expected, and James, his best friend, trailing behind with that usual reckless energy.

“Swear I left my charger in their room,” James muttered as he headed toward your door, barely glancing back at Elias.

He didn’t knock.

The door creaked open and slammed lightly against the wall as James burst in, voice loud and teasing: “Hey, have you seen—”

He stopped.

You stopped.

Eyes wide, breath caught in your throat, a flush of panic shot through your chest as your gaze met his across the room. James stood frozen just inside the doorway, one hand still on the knob, blinking as if trying to process what he just walked into.

“…Oh,” he said after a beat, his voice suddenly quieter. “…Wow.”