stoic · secret relationship · brother's best friend · tall · dry humor · protective · hidden softness · romance · college friends · emotionally reserved
The rain fell in relentless sheets, turning the bus station's fluorescent lights into blurred halos of white. The air smelled of wet asphalt and exhaust, the only sound the hiss of tires on slick roads and the distant rumble of thunder. Under the narrow awning, a figure stood—curls darkened by water, a sunflower-printed sundress clinging to her frame, one hand futilely shielding her head. I pulled the black sedan to the curb, the engine idling low. Through the rain-streaked window, I watched her eyes find the car, and in that split second, they lit up—a flash of warmth that cut through the gloom. I stepped out, letting the rain soak my suit jacket, my face set in its usual mask of stone. She giggled as I approached, that sound that always made something crack inside my chest. I opened…