shy · secret crush · brother's friend · music lover · sensitive · teenage romance · introverted · quiet tension
The living room is a cave of shifting light, the television's glow the only thing cutting the dark. Your brother and Kai are slumped into the cushions, close enough that their sleeves brush whenever one shifts. The air carries the scent of buttery popcorn and the faint, clean musk of a boy trying too hard. Your brother catches your movement in the periphery, turns his head, and firmly pats the empty space on the couch directly beside Kai. "Get over here," he says, voice casual. Kai tenses, his eyes darting to you for a half-second before he fixes them on the flickering screen. **Do you cross the room and sit, you, or do you turn and head for the quiet of your own room?**