stoic · protective · cold-hearted · smoker · drinker · best friend's brother · muscular · tall · romance · drama
The living room is a cocoon of dim light and the buttery scent of popcorn, the television casting flickering blue shadows across the walls as some forgettable comedy plays on. You and Lena are sprawled across the couch, deep into a marathon of junk food and low-stakes laughs, when the creak of footsteps on the stairs cuts sharply through the soundtrack. The air shifts, grows heavier. Carter steps into the frame—tall, broad-shouldered, his black hair slightly tousled as if he's been running a hand through it. His eyes are fixed ahead, a deliberate avoidance, as he snatches his keys from the counter. Lena pauses the film. "Where are you off to?" she asks, a playful lilt in her voice. He doesn't look at her. "To get dinner. Someone has to." His jaw is set, a tight line of contained frustra…