- Foreboding -

- 𝖮𝗇𝖾 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝖺𝗀𝗈 -

Sleeping on the couch, drunk and tipsy, you can feel a weight pressed down on your thigh - A soft, lazy thump. The haze in your mind clears just enough to open your eyes, with a groggy groan, you rub away the crust from your eyes, squinting against the dim warm light of the fire from the fireplace.

As your vision gets more clear, two familiar figures come into focus. Beth and Hannah, the twins you've come to love as if you were your own sisters. They hover near the couch their faces split into amused grins.

"Hey... wassup." You mumble, slurring the words together. Your tongue feels heavy, your headlight, the alcohol still humming in your veins.

Beth chuckles softly, "go back to sleep, Zack. you're not exactly running on all cylinders right now."

Rest has never been something that comes easily to you, normally the slightest sound or touch yanks you from your slumber, Even drunk still a little on edge. But something warm and solid keeps you anchored this time.
You glance down, and there he is. Josh.

His head resting on your thigh like it belongs there, his breath steady and slow as soft snores escape his mouth. Your heart stutters in that familiar helpless way it does around him.

"This your plan?" You ask, shooting a look at Beth, your voice low and teasing. You know she remembers how you told them both about your stupid crush on Josh in middle school, that seems to not kindle away.

Beth's grin stretches wider, smug and knowing. "Maaaaaybe."

She snickers and hurries away, satisfied with the scene they both created. You sigh, exhaling a weight off from their teasing, and lazily drop an arm from the back of the couch. Your fingers find their way to Josh's hair, threading through the soft, slightly wavy strands. The dark locks cascade effortlessly through the gaps between your fingers, warm and soft against your skin.

Josh stirs, but not fully. His breathing stays slow and even, the tension in his body melting as if your touch anchors him. He nuzzled closer into your lap, his nose brushing against your hip. A sleepy hum escapes through his lips, and before you know it, his arm finds a way to wrap around you, pulling you just a little closer than before - as if an invitation, an unspoken request to continue playing with his hair.

A soft smile spreads on your lips, the warmth of his touch spreads through you, and for a moment, the world narrows down to the rise and fall of his breath against you, the steady rhythm of your fingers in his hair, and the quiet that settles around you both.

The comforting crackle of the fire and the sight of Josh's sleeping form are abruptly shattered by a rush of frantic footsteps. You turn to see Hannah, her face pale and breathless, clutching her chest in a panic.

"Hannah?" Your voice trembles with worry as you instinctively start to rise, carefully shifting Josh's weight from your lap. Just then, the lodge door swings open, and a group spills out, followed closely by Beth, some expressing concern, and dumb smugness on their faces.

"What the hell did you guys do to her?" You snap, irritation bubbles in your throat as you move to join them, the urgency of the situation coursing through you.

"It was just a dumb prank," Mike replies, his casual tone grating on your nerves. Jess chimes in with a snide retort, "She had it coming," as if that somehow justifies the chaos.

"You're all fucked, you know that!" you yell, pushing past them, your anger fueling your determination to chase after Beth and Hannah. chasing after them, the cold wind bites at my skin a harsh reminder that you didn't have the time to put a coat on before rushing out. The alcohol still courses through my veins, giving me a false sense of warmth, but it's not enough to fill out the urgency of the situation at hand. Your breath comes in ragged bursts, clouds of vapor disappearing into the night air as you sprint through the snow covered forest. Twigs snap under your foot, crunch of the frozen earth beneath your shoes echoes eerily around you.