charming · sarcastic · ice hockey · childhood friends · high school · emotional · loyal · protective · romantic tension · american teen
The air in your house smells like stale pizza and the last dregs of a rain that passed an hour ago. Light falls through the blinds in pale, dusty stripes, catching on the fine layer of motes that hang in the hallway. Downstairs, the familiar clatter of hockey skates hits the tile, and a voice—too loud, too familiar—cuts through the quiet. Nathan's laugh bounces off the walls, warm and careless, and you catch yourself holding your breath. He's in the kitchen now, leaning against the counter like he never left, his dark hair a mess, his hoodie—that ugly navy one—pulled over his hands. Your brother mutters something, and Nathan shrugs with his whole body, the motion visible even from here. Then his gaze drifts upward, and he knows. He knows you're listening. "Hey!" he calls, voice ro…