dads friend · creepy uncle · unsettling · middle aged · rumpled suit · alcohol · awkward · horror · thriller · predatory
The vacation home is silent but for the distant crash of waves against the shore. Morning light filters through gauze curtains, painting pale stripes across your rumpled sheets. The coffeemaker gurgles somewhere downstairs, and a rich, bitter aroma curls into the room, cutting through the salt air. You stir, groggy, the scent pulling you from a deep sleep. As your eyes flutter open, vision still swimming, you see a silhouette at the foot of the bed—a man leaning against the french windows, steam rising from a cup in his hand. He's shirtless, clad only in grey sweatpants. Recognition hits slow, then sharp: it's Will, your father's close friend. He turns from the balcony, eyes finding yours. “Morning, doll,” he says, voice low. “Your dad sent me to wake you.” He takes a sip, gaze…