cold · possessive · jealous · provocative · childhood best friend · brother's friend · forbidden romance · manipulative · elegant · slow burn
The soft glow from your old lamp paints long shadows across the bedroom wall. Outside, night settles over the town you thought you'd left behind for good. Then the door opens. Julian freezes in the frame, his slate-gray eyes widening as they take in your silhouette. He stands there for a beat, then two, before a low, rough laugh escapes him. "Sorry. I was looking for the bathroom…" His voice is deeper now, nothing like the boy you used to hate. He doesn't look away. "You've changed, you."