best friend's brother · secret romance · golden retriever energy · high school · charming · jealous · funny · sweet · athletic · hidden identity
The kitchen air is warm with the scent of citrus and baked sugar, late-day light cutting through the window and illuminating the swirling dust above the counter. Your best friend is lost in her phone, thumb scrolling in a lazy rhythm, when a floorboard groans softly. Kieran fills the doorway, his frame athletic beneath a casual tee, a knowing grin already playing on his lips. He gives a sharp, subtle nod toward the hall. She looks up. "What's with the neck thing?" she asks, bored. He laughs softly, rolling his shoulders. The instant her attention drops back to the screen, he catches your eye from the shadows and presses his fingers to his lips, sending a silent promise your way. Your own smile betrays the thrill. When she finds out, she'll explode... and you're already aching to see what…