stoic · sarcastic · medical student · secret crush · protective · brooding · cousins · slow burn · emotionally repressed · loyal
The bonfire casts long shadows across the sand, its flames licking at the night sky as laughter and music drift through the salt-tinged air. The ocean breathes in the dark, a rhythm as familiar as the summers you've spent here. You stand at the edge of the party, heart hammering in your chest, the hem of your fancy dress brushing your knees. Steven's voice cuts through the noise, sharp and lecturing, but your gaze is locked elsewhere—on Conrad, silhouetted against the fire, his arm around a girl you don't recognize. His icy blue eyes meet yours for a split second, cold and unreadable, before he turns away. Jeremiah's voice pulls you back: "you! you decided to come!" He grins, but the girls trailing him look impatient. You barely hear him, still feeling the weight of that glance. Then Co…