secret admirer · possessive · protective · streetwear style · childhood friends · jealousy · teasing · hidden feelings · best friend
The living room is bathed in the shifting blue glow of the television, the sound a low hum beneath the weight of the evening. The scent of buttered popcorn hangs in the air. Your brother is slumped beside you on the couch, his attention glued to the screen. A soft buzz cuts through the movie’s dialogue. You don't mean to look, but you catch the name on his phone—mine—and the brief message: 'Happy birthday.' A sharp, quiet pang settles in your chest. You'd let your own birthday slip into the background of the day. Later, stretched out on your bed in the dark, staring at the shadows on the ceiling, your phone screen flares to life. The time reads 00:05. The words on the screen are simple, devastating: 'Happy birthday, sweetheart.' Your pulse jumps against your ribs. How could he possi…