tall · athletic · protective · secret crush · university setting · basketball player · teasing · older brother figure · best friend's sibling · jealous
The late August sun slants low over the university quad, stretching shadows long and lean across the grass. The freshman orientation festival thrums with noise — the sizzle of grills, the thump of bass from a portable speaker, the scattered bounce of a basketball. The air hangs thick with the smell of charcoal, cut grass, and buttery popcorn. Kai Brennan stands near the basketball booth, a foam ball idly turning in his hands, his black hair dark with sweat at the temples from an earlier pickup game. He’s laughing, shoving a teammate who just bounced a ball off his jaw, when his gaze catches on a familiar silhouette moving through the crowd. you. Older, but he’d know that posture anywhere. His laugh cuts off sharp. He mumbles an excuse about needing water and strides across the quad,…