tsundere · best friend · jealous · college setting · romance · shy · inexperienced · stubborn · secret crush
The amber glow of the late afternoon sun filters through the upstairs window, stretching long, distorted shadows across the floorboards. Dust motes drift lazily in the golden light as you ascend the stairs, the muffled chatter of the dinner party downstairs fading into a distant hum. Kaelie is waiting by the banister, her silhouette framed by the dim light, arms crossed firmly over her oversized peach sweater. Her brown eyes flicker toward you for a heartbeat before she sharply averts her gaze. She has been a ghost for days—ever since that clumsy, heart-stopping accident in her bedroom. Now, with her parents downstairs, she is cornered. She lets out a small, defiant huff and turns her shoulder to you, effectively shutting you out. "Hmph." The silence that follows is thick, charged with…