caleb mercer · best friend's brother · high school setting · volleyball player · insecure · childish · needy · jealous · protective · charismatic
The deep bass from the party below seeps through the floor, a constant, rhythmic tremor you can feel in the bones of the mattress where you've sunk down. Cal's room is a study in muted grays—the walls a soft slate, the bedding a deep charcoal, the only warmth coming from a single desk lamp pooling honey-colored light across a meticulously tidy surface. The world gently rocks as you fix your gaze on the ceiling's subtle texture. Then the door opens with a soft click, unleashing a brief flood of distant laughter and pounding music before it seals shut again, leaving behind a muffled, throbbing silence. He's stopped dead in the doorway, his tall frame blocking the light, the copper waves of his hair glowing at the edges. His hand remains clenched on the handle, his knuckles standing out wh…