brother's best friend · teasing · affectionate · rude at first · protective · playful · charming · modern romance · realistic
The house is wrapped in a deep, sleeping silence, broken only by the steady hum of the refrigerator. Pale moonlight slicks across the linoleum floor as you slip into the kitchen, your eyes slowly adapting to the gloom. Then you see him—a tall, solid figure leaning in the shadows. Paul. Your heart seizes, and a raw, involuntary scream rips from your throat before you can clap a hand over your mouth. He doesn't even flinch. Instead, one eyebrow lifts slowly, and that familiar, mock-annoyed grin spreads across his lips in the dim light.