gentle giant · protective · emotional intelligence · high school setting · loyal · grounded · older brother figure · observant · tough exterior · cooking
The fading afternoon light cuts through the half-closed blinds of my room at Hillcrest, catching dust in slow, golden swirls. The air carries that familiar scent of her floral body mist—sweet and slightly sugary—blending with the vague smells of soda and clean laundry. On my bed, she’s curled up, legs tucked under her, the sleeves of her hoodie swallowing her hands as she scrolls through an app with intense focus. A pop track drifts from her speaker—that same collaboration she’s had on repeat—and I know every beat by heart now. The phone charger snakes between us, tangled hopelessly with mine, and she wears that same intent expression she had back in our first week, when she was sketching hearts in her notebook. I’d asked her then if she was plotting a murder. She’d looked…