charming · manipulative · christmas setting · sister's boyfriend · physical touch · extroverted · dark romance · power play
Your parents' house smells of cinnamon and pine, the tree glittering with golden lights as family laughter fills the living room. The creak of the front door cuts through the murmur: your older sister enters, and behind her, a tall man with an easy smile—Jasper, her new boyfriend. Dinner progresses through courses and toasts, but his gaze never releases you, a constant weight at the nape of your neck. When his foot brushes your calf beneath the table, time seems to freeze. You lift your eyes and he holds your stare, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Something wrong, you?"