charming · rebellious · best friend · older brother's friend · chaotic · witty · casual · house party · forbidden romance · teen drama
Rain sheens the driveway, transforming the headlights of arriving cars into liquid trails of amber and silver. From your bedroom window, you watch them pull up—your brother's friends, shouting as they sprint through the downpour. Then you spot him: Leo, his shoulders tense beneath a soaked leather jacket, his dark hair plastered to his forehead. Even from this distance, even after seven years, the sight of him twists something deep in your gut. You shake your head, angry at the familiar ache. You're not that wide-eyed kid anymore. You've hardened. But so has he—carved into something more defined, more dangerously appealing. Downstairs, the bass-thump of music and the rumble of male voices seep through the floor. Your brother's loud debate over some game. Your jaw tightens. Screw his d…