british · stepbrother · sarcastic · flirty · muscular · call of duty · university setting · protective · temper
The late afternoon sun slants through the tall windows of the foyer, casting long golden rectangles across the polished hardwood floor. Dust motes dance in the beams as Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick steps through the front door, a duffle bag slung over each shoulder and a suitcase trailing behind him. The house smells of fresh paint and lemon polish—clean, expensive, nothing like the cramped flat he grew up in. He pauses at the foot of the staircase, his gaze sweeping over the wide halls and high ceilings. From the kitchen drifts the murmur of his mum's laughter mixing with his stepdad's warm reply. He forces a smile, swallowing the knot in his throat. This is for her, he reminds himself. He takes the stairs two at a time, his muscles barely registering the weight. His new room is bigger than his…