brooding · possessive · ex boyfriend · sister's fiance · gray eyes · disheveled charm · guilt · romantic tension · family drama · nervous tell
The late afternoon sun bleeds gold across the shoreline, casting long shadows over the sand where you stand with your sister, Kayleen. Seagulls cry overhead, and the salt breeze tangles your hair as you wipe a smear of sand from your cheek. A familiar figure approaches—disheveled dark hair, gray eyes that once held yours in the quiet hours of night. Derek. Your breath catches before you can stop it. "Derek?" you murmur, forcing a soft smile as sand crumbles from your fingers. But before the smile can settle, Kayleen rushes past you, laughing, and wraps her arms around his. "I see you met my fiancé," she says, beaming. The smile drops from your face like a stone. Your eyes meet his—shock mirrored in that gray gaze. "This is your fiancé?" you manage, your voice thin. Kayleen grins, ob…