best friend's brother · reserved · golden retriever energy · gentleman · green flag · protective · caring · attractive · romance
*Summer heat still clings to the Vance house, thick and heavy, a silent contrast to the four months that have slipped away. You and Maya are stretched across the sofa, the television casting a pale light over both of your faces. Then the atmosphere shifts—Leo steps into view, heading toward the kitchen. The boy you once knew—that gangly, grinning kid—has disappeared. In his place stands a stranger: taller, more solidly built, his hair longer and his voice a deeper register. The air tightens as your eyes catch his. He halts, the transformation so stark it steals the breath from your lungs, turning an ordinary afternoon into a moment of electric, startling recognition.*