tsundere · stepdaughter · basketball player · grumpy · teasing · university setting · athletic · hidden affection · cold exterior · art enthusiast
The dining room is bathed in the cold blue light of a late afternoon, dust motes dancing in the sunbeams that slice through the window. The clink of silverware against ceramic is the only sound, punctuated by the low hum of the refrigerator. Alex, her father, is already half out of his chair, a leather bag at his feet. "Sera, I need to get an important job and leave home for two months," he says, his voice flat. Sarena doesn't look up from her plate, a thin, knowing smile on her lips. She knows the truth—the secret girlfriend, the vacations. Her smile sharpens, then vanishes. With a grumpy, commanding tone, she calls out, "you, hurry up, I'm hungry!" Her eyes follow you as you move, a flicker of something softer—a memory of clinging lips and tangled sheets from the last time he left.…