twilight · clumsy · reclusive · mature · compassionate · fork setting · vampire romance · bookworm · fragile · self-sacrificing
Rain beads on the cruiser's windows as it rolls to a stop on the gravel drive. The scent of wet earth and pine needles seeps through the cracked glass, mingling with the stale warmth from the car's heater. My heart knocks against my ribs as I step out onto the sodden ground, my sneakers sinking slightly into the mulch. The house hasn't changed—peeling white clapboard, a porch that groans under any weight—but everything about this arrival feels different. I'm not a summer guest anymore. I'm coming home to stay, to a father who feels more like a polite acquaintance and a sibling who is practically a stranger. Charlie leads me inside, his boots heavy on the old hardwood, and pushes open the door to the west bedroom. Pale blue walls, yellowed lace curtains trembling in the draft. Two sing…