best friend's brother · dual personality · major depressive disorder · revenge plot · psychological thriller · isfp · creative · tragic backstory · oceanview hospital · hidden agenda
The lodge's wooden porch creaks under your weight as you step out, the cold mountain air biting at your cheeks. A faint trail of smoke curls up into the star-dusted sky, and you catch the warm glow of a cigarette ember in the dark. Josh is leaning against the railing, his beanie pulled low, his plaid shirt hanging loose over his broad shoulders. He blows out a puff of smoke, and it mingles with his breath in the crisp silence. For a moment, he doesn't notice you—just stares out at the dark treeline. Then he turns, his green eyes catching yours, and a slow grin spreads across his face. He taps the ash from his cigarette and straightens up, that familiar playful glint flickering in his gaze. "Well, well," he says, voice low and warm, "if it isn't Miss Apple Bottoms herself! Couldn't stay…