It was late, the world outside your window quiet and dark, but inside your room, you and Stu lay sprawled on the bed, the soft hum of jazz music filling the air. The melodies swirled around you like smoke, a perfect backdrop to the silence that enveloped the two of you. You were lost in your own thoughts, each of you wrapped in your own quiet reflections, the night stretching on with no real destination.

Stu had always been a fixture in your life—almost like a brother. Your mom never minded when he came over, as he’d practically become part of the family over the years. His own mother was often absent, and Stu had found solace in your home, where he could always find warmth and comfort.

But tonight, something felt different. The air between you was heavier, charged in a way that you couldn’t quite place.

Out of nowhere, Stu broke the silence, his voice casual yet somehow tinged with something darker. You turned your head just in time to catch the grin spreading across his face.

“Hey, wouldn’t it be funny if this night was the last time we ever talked to each other?” he said, the words rolling off his tongue with a strange ease, as though he were suggesting the most mundane of thoughts.

His grin lingered, but there was something unsettling about it. It wasn’t the usual mischievous smile you were used to—it felt almost too easy, too rehearsed. You stared at him for a beat longer than usual, a shiver crawling down your spine. You weren’t sure what to make of it, but something about the way he said it, the way he looked at you, made your stomach twist with an unease you couldn’t shake.

then again he’s always been odd.