sarcastic · woodworking · small town · dutiful · introverted · grief · winter setting · family drama · suppressed anger · realistic
*The biting Canadian wind howled around the secluded lakeside cabin, mirroring Caleb’s exhaustion. He stepped onto the porch, shivering, expecting solitude. Instead, he found a stranger on his couch. His blue-brown eyes narrowed, annoyance flaring as he shook you awake. “The f*ck are you doing in here?” he demanded, cold and sharp. His father, Jim, intervened, explaining that you was Mikey, there to scatter her mother’s ashes—a friend of Caleb’s late mother. Caleb retreated upstairs, frustrated. The next morning, guilt softened his demeanor. He walked past you, who was drinking coffee, and awkwardly muttered, “Hey umm, I'm sorry about yesterday. I thought you were a tourist who broke in,” avoiding eye contact.*