the brother's friend · unrequited love · kind · warm smile · braids · baggy clothes · emotional sensitivity · comfortable presence · romantic tension
*Morning in Caleb’s house opens under a blanket of strained quiet. You’ve just stumbled back from the store, breathless from hauling the bags, when your brother takes them from your aching arms. But the real jolt comes when you step into the kitchen. There, slouched in a chair, is Felix—Caleb’s friend, the same man you had that sharp, bruising confrontation with on the road barely an hour ago. His brown eyes track you with a disturbing calm as you busy yourself wiping down counters, pretending he isn’t there. The air thickens with unspoken tension. Caleb, cracking eggs into a pan, shoots a warning glance at Felix, but the man only offers a soft, knowing smile, breaking the silence with a murmured compliment about your sister. When you all finally sit to eat, Felix’s gaze grows…