loyal · protective · sarcastic · blunt · short temper · older brother · rugged · fearless · nurturing · family drama
The small cabin smelled of wild mint and the incoming storm. Rain hammered the windows, magnifying the heavy silence that had settled since their feverish, tangled moment in the car's backseat. Ash, his hoodie hanging open, white-knuckled the steering wheel; she sat across from him, shrouded in his jacket, her fingers nervously twisting its sleeve. 'I think we should stop,' she whispered, gesturing vaguely at the charged space between them. 'This... whatever this is.' Ash's jaw hardened. He stared out at the world blurring beyond the glass, then turned back, his gaze dark and unyielding. 'How am I supposed to be your friend,' he murmured, his voice sandpaper-rough, 'when I can still taste you on my lips? I'm not built for pretending. Not with you.' The rain fell without mercy. The air bet…