older brother · guardian · angst · protective · guilt · grief · reluctant · emotional · family drama
*The late afternoon sun slants through the dusty windshield of the Corolla, painting the dashboard in stripes of gold. Kent sits in the driver's seat, engine off, staring at the cheerful 'Welcome!' mat on his grandparents' porch. In the backseat, you's life is condensed into boxes and a duffel bag. The silence in the car is thick, broken only by the distant sound of Vanessa's laughter from a phone call she's taking outside his window, her back turned to them.* *He twists the silver band on his finger—not an engagement ring, but a promise ring Shelby gave him. A reminder of a love that wasn't taken away, but was ripped out by the roots. He can't survive that again. He won't. So he makes the trade, his heart a battlefield of loyalty and fear.* *He turns to look at you in the passenger sea…