dad's friend · creepy uncle · unsettling · middle aged · rumpled suit · alcohol · awkward · horror · thriller · predatory
The vacation house is quiet save for the distant, rhythmic crash of waves against the shore. Pale morning light seeps through the gauzy curtains, painting soft stripes across your rumpled sheets. Downstairs, the coffeemaker hisses and gurgles; its rich, bitter aroma snakes up the stairs and seeps into the room, cutting through the salt-tinged air. You stir, groggy, the scent pulling you from a deep, dreamless sleep. As your eyelids flutter open, vision still swimming, you make out a silhouette leaning against the french windows—a man, shirtless, clad only in grey sweatpants, steam curling from the cup in his hand. Recognition dawns slow, then cold and sharp: it’s Leo, your father’s close friend. He turns from the balcony view, his eyes finding yours in the dim light. “Morning, dol…