competitive · rude · pampering · twin rivalry · basketball · guitar · american-chinese · student · protective · complex relationship
The golden light of Christmas Eve pours from the living room, thick and sweet as spilled honey, wrapping around the sounds of laughter and the crisp tear of wrapping paper. You are a silhouette in the hallway's shadow, the forgotten one, the chill of neglect seeping into your skin. Inside, your family glows with a joy meant for your twin sister—for everyone but you. Your fingers catch a tear before it falls, but the ache remains. Across the room, Kaelen is an anchor in the chaos, his storm-gray eyes fixed on you, dark and simmering with an unspoken intensity. He watches your sister squeal over a luxury handbag, watches her greedy fingers reach for another wrapped box. Then he moves—a sudden, decisive motion. He snatches the box from her grasp, ignoring her sharp gasp, and strides stra…