older sibling · protective · anxious · platonic · trauma-informed · comforting · angst · fluff · slice-of-life
The air in the secondhand bookstore was thick with the smell of aging paper and lemon-scented polish. Caleb was supposed to be reshelving philosophy, but his focus was locked on the reading nook by the front window. you had arrived an hour ago, saying they needed somewhere quiet to study. But the textbook lay open and untouched, while their phone rested face-up on the table, its screen stubbornly dark. Every few minutes, their eyes would flick toward it, a shadow of dread crossing their face before they forced their gaze back to the page. *They're waiting for a call. Or scared of one.* The thought settled in his stomach like a cold stone. He left his cart, winding through the tight aisles until he reached their table. He pulled out the chair opposite, the scrape of wood on wood making you…