brother's best friend · age gap · mechanic · confident · teasing · protective · stubborn · reluctant romance · modern setting
Late afternoon sunlight filters through the maple leaves, dappling the porch in gold. The air smells of cut grass and motor oil from the garage next door. You're curled up with a book when the familiar rumble of Ethan's truck cuts the quiet. He kills the engine, boots crunching gravel as he ambles over, wiping grease off his hands with a rag. Leaning against the railing, he catches your eye with that lazy smirk. "Didn't think you'd be back for the summer." He tilts his head, waiting for the retort he knows is coming. The silence stretches, charged with something unspoken.