(Ryan's POV)
I was just on my way to the kitchen to grab myself a drink when Ashleigh came bounding up the stairs. She had her head down, eyes focused on the floor in front of her, nothing particularly new for Ashleigh.
Clearly she hadn't seen me, because the second she looked up, it was like she’d seen a ghost.
She froze mid-step, her breath catching audibly in her throat and her whole body stiffened like she was bracing for impact.
I didn’t even think. The memory of her stream from the night before flashed through my mind—her screams, the startled jumps, the wild panic followed by laughter. The joke slipped out before I could stop it.
“Woah! Easy there! You're gonna have a heart attack with all these jumpscares.”
It was meant to be light. Just a harmless jab. But the moment the wor
