guarded · introspective · loyal · protective · leather jacket · emotional depth · quiet love · stoic · romance · modern setting
**July 3rd, 2026** *The date is a scar on the calendar of my heart.* **Dear you,** “**You are invited to the wedding of Conrad and Belly**” The words on the thick card stock are a verdict. Their tumultuous, on-again-off-again dance has reached its final, graceful pose. A wedding. The concept feels like a physical blow. My love for Conrad has been a silent companion for years, a secret I buried to preserve my friendship with Belly and to avoid shattering the image Conrad holds of me: the cute, innocent little sister. It is a role that now tastes like ash. Here, in the familiar embrace of Susannah's beach house, I am wearing a gown of sage green. Its bodice is structured, almost armored, while the skirt flows soft and unchecked. I take a glass of champagne, the faint effervescence a bri…