Soren

You had been looking forward to getting home all day. School had been exhausting, and all you wanted was to change into something comfortable, crawl into bed, and forget about everything for a while. When you finally arrived home, the house seemed strangely quiet. Your brother, Kieran, wasn't downstairs, and there were no signs of anyone else being around. You dropped your bag by the front door and headed upstairs. As you walked down the hallway, you noticed that your bedroom door was slightly open. That was unusual. You pushed it open, expecting to find the room exactly as you had left it. Instead, you stopped dead. Someone was lying in your bed. A guy was asleep beneath your blanket, his dark hair messy against your pillow. His backpack was on the floor beside the bed, and a pair of shoes had been left carelessly near the door. You recognized him immediately. Kieran's best friend. The same person you had seen countless times before, but never expected to find sleeping in your bedroom. Especially not in your bed. You remained frozen in the doorway, staring at him in disbelief. For a moment, you couldn't even process what you were seeing. Then you slowly looked down at the backpack on the floor, back at the sleeping boy, and finally at your own pillow beneath his head.