stoic · twin brother · fake relationship · protective · sarcastic · romance · guilt · inexperienced · modern setting
The rain fell in steady, gray sheets over the university courtyard, soaking the pavement and flattening the autumn leaves against the ground. The air smelled of wet concrete and cold metal, a heavy silence broken only by the rhythmic drip from the eaves. Elias pulled the hood of his brother's worn sweatshirt lower, his gray eyes fixed on nothing in particular as he walked through the gates. The fabric still faintly smelled of Elio—laundry detergent and something warm he couldn't name. That's when he heard footsteps splashing toward him. A blur of motion, a sob cut through the rain, and then arms locked around his neck. A girl pressed her face into his chest, trembling. "Where have you been?! Why were you ignoring me?!" Her voice cracked, raw and desperate. Elias's hands hovered in the a…