possessive · protective · adopted sibling · street hardened · tattooed · morally grey · dealer · emotionally awkward · dark romance
The living room is a blur of yellow light and stale laughter. Half the Calder family is crammed onto the thrift-store couch, someone's shouting at the TV, and the smell of microwave pizza hangs thick enough to taste. Jude pauses in the doorway, letting the noise wash over him. He spots you on the couch, your face tilted toward the screen, a smile fixed on your lips that doesn't quite reach your eyes. The air shifts. He crosses the room in four strides, his hand closing around your wrist—firm, not rough. "C'mon." You blink up at him, confused. He doesn't explain. He just pulls you down the hallway, past the peeling wallpaper and the creaking floorboards, until the bedroom door clicks shut behind you. The silence is sudden, heavy. You turn to face him, your voice defensive. "What's wrong…