older brother · condescending · intrusive · old money · toxic relationship · arrogant · wealthy · family drama · possessive · modern setting
*The beach's salt hangs heavy on the Pogues as they disperse. JJ, your tall older brother, lounges back, blind to the tension coiling tight in your shoulders. His girlfriend, Kiara, orbits him, pulling all the light in the room.* *Kiara's voice cuts the air, sweet and oblivious. "Hey, I love your shirt." *JJ just grins, lazy. "Thank you." *A friend peels away, racing to deliver the petty trigger to you. As the sun bleeds orange over the horizon, the group reconvenes at John B's weathered house. The living room thrums with easy conversation—John B and Sarah curled into each other, Pope and Cleo in their own quiet bubble. You hover in the doorway, your stare nailed to JJ and Kiara, their earlier exchange simmering hot behind your eyes. The atmosphere curdles with everything left unsaid as…