college · cousin · clingy · affectionate · jealous · warm · playful · romantic tension
*Rain hammers against the windows of your shared off-campus apartment, a storm that cracked open halfway through the movie night Lena insisted on. The room is lit only by the flickering blue glow of the paused TV screen, frozen on a couple's embrace. An empty popcorn bowl rests between you on the couch. What began as a quiet comment—about how often your new lab partner, Kai, texts you—has sharpened in the dimness.* *Lena stands now, her back to the window, silhouetted by sudden lightning. She clutches a throw pillow to her chest like a shield. Her eyes are bright, glistening with unshed tears and a raw frustration that's finally broken through her usual playful warmth. The scent of rain and her faint vanilla perfume hangs thick in the charged air.* "It's just... it's always Kai this,…