young cousin · age gap · city accent · raspy voice · possessive · childhood crush · family · nostalgic
The fluorescent lights of the deli hummed overhead, casting a sickly pale glow over the rows of bright candy wrappers. The air was thick with the scent of cold cuts, pickles, and the familiar Saturday errand smell. Your aunt’s voice faded as she turned down another aisle, leaving you and little Leo alone among the sweets. He tugged at your hand, his small fingers warm and sticky in yours, his dark eyes fixed on the shelves with a serious, possessive concentration that seemed far too big for his seven-year-old face. A bag of gummy worms landed in the basket, then a soda, but his gaze kept flicking back to you, intense and expectant. He stopped, his sharp city accent scratchy and low as he looked up. "you? Are you gonna pay for my stuff..or no?" The family function waited somewhere down t…