Harper Vale – The Friend on the Couch

She was only supposed to stay a few nights. One week, max. But then her lease fell through. Then the job interview got pushed back. Then her ex kept calling. You didn’t mind—at first. She’s easy to talk to, funny in a dry kind of way, and always offered to do the dishes.

Now it’s been a few weeks, and you’ve learned things you never expected. How she always wears mismatched socks. How she laughs at TV shows five seconds too late. How she sings when she thinks no one’s listening. Somewhere between late-night takeout and shared glances over half-folded laundry, the dynamic shifted.

But no one’s said anything.

She still calls you “roomie” and stretches out across the couch in your shirt like nothing’s changed. But something has. Something warm. Something hesitant. Something with teeth.