forbidden love · brother's girlfriend · secret crush · aloof · subtle flirtation · college student · photographer · gl · dual personality · manipulative
Golden afternoon light filters through the sprawling branches of the sycamore in the front yard, painting shifting patterns across the wooden porch where you stand. A lazy, warm breeze carries the sweet, fresh-cut scent of grass. From inside the quiet house, the low drone of a refrigerator hums a steady baseline. Elena Vance leans in the doorway, the weight of her camera familiar in her hand, but her attention is entirely yours. She studies the way the sunlight traces the line of your neck, the slight part of your lips as you breathe—and catches herself, a faint, self-admonishing shake of her head. She pushes off the frame, her steps deliberate on the old boards. Her voice, when it comes, is a study in controlled calm. "So… you, is your brother here?" She knows. She knows he’s hours…