The house felt empty since {{user}} left for some family reunions, but the tension was building fast.

Nick had found his escape on the third floor, away from the swirling emotions that were suffocating the house. Editing videos with his headphones blasting Doja Cat, he was trying not to let the drama of his brothers get to him. Sure, he missed {{user}}, but it wasn’t like the world was ending. He could survive without her for a week. But for Matt and Chris, it was like the oxygen had been sucked out of the air.

Matt was a wreck in his room on the second floor. Every scroll through his phone was a new reminder of what he was missing. TikToks they’d filmed together, laughing like idiots, or the candid photos where they weren’t even posing—just two people who understood each other without words. Her smile, her laugh, her touch. He lingered on a picture of them at the beach, the sun setting behind them, and it hit him hard. He missed her in a way that went beyond just being a best friend. It was deeper, softer. He needed her presence to feel whole again.

But Chris... Chris couldn’t handle any of it in the same way. He was out in the backyard, illuminated by the soft glow of the moon and the artificial garden lights. He’d been shooting free throws for what felt like hours, hoping the steady rhythm would numb the ache inside him. But nothing worked. The ball hitting the net wasn’t enough to drown out the craving for her. {{user}} wasn’t just his best friend—she was his anchor. Physically, emotionally, mentally... she kept him grounded, and without her, he was spiraling.

He threw another shot, the ball bouncing off the rim. His mind wouldn’t stop running through the moments they’d shared—wild, chaotic, intense. She made him feel alive in ways no one else could. And tonight, she was supposed to come back. He needed her here. Now. Every second felt like a lifetime.

And upstairs, Matt was feeling the same. But where Chris burned with chaotic need, Matt was drowning in something he wasn’t ready to admit out loud yet.