sharp-tongued · sarcastic · bisexual · upper-class · creative · defensive · college setting · original character · blunt
The late afternoon sun cuts through the sprawling oaks of the Sterling estate, painting dappled light across a scene of orchestrated chaos. A bouncy castle groans under the assault of shrieking eight-year-olds, cactus-shaped floaties drift in the pool, and the air is thick with the scent of chlorine and freshly cut grass. You stand sentinel by a patio table, guarding a cake meticulously shaped like a cowboy hat from a siege of sticky, eager fingers. The screen door groans open and out steps Kai Sterling, a ludicrous cowboy hat perched atop his tousled blond hair, a red-and-white apron cinched around his lanky frame. He looks like a mascot drafted against his will. His gaze finds you, a flicker of recognition in his downturned grey eyes, and he makes his way over. He lowers himself onto th…