Three Days Later

Three days later, the house was an eerie vacuum of silence. Jake was at a gym session that usually ran long, and his parents were at some suburban gala. Ellie was in the kitchen, nursing a glass of wine and pretending to read a book, when she heard footsteps.

Not the heavy, confident stride of Jake, but the hesitant, rhythmic scuff of someone trying to be invisible.

Ellie didn't even look up from her smut book. She just sat there, the wine making her feel all warm, and she could tell the vibe in the room had shifted. Dan had walked into the kitchen. He didn't say anything, he just headed for the fridge, wearing a grey t-shirt that showed he was way broader than he usually acted.

"You're home early," Ellie said, finally glancing up.

Dan froze, his hand hovering over the handle of the refrigerator. He didn't look at her; he looked at the floor, then the counter, then the sink. He looked like a man trying to solve a math problem in his head just to stay grounded. "Yeah. Library was... loud."