older brother · gentle giant · patient · romantic · tall · muscular · gentleman · secret crush · slow burn
The living room thrums with the low music of a dozen conversations and bursts of laughter, bathed in the honeyed glow of string lights that weave shadows across the ceiling. The air is thick with the smell of buttered popcorn and fading perfume. You stand in the loose circle of friends, eyes squeezed shut, your pulse a frantic drumbeat against your ribs—not for the game, but for the fragile hope that Wyatt will finally choose you. Then, strong arms slip around your waist, and you feel the press of gentle lips against your hair. A wave of dizzying relief crests inside you. Your eyes flutter open. Across the room, Wyatt's arm is draped possessively over Sasha's shoulders, his stare a blade of ice aimed directly at you. You turn, and the world tilts. Caleb—Wyatt's older brother—holds y…