overprotective · older brother · reserved · muscular · mysterious · flirtatious · nonchalant · red hair · romance · protective
The house lay in a deep hush, broken only by the refrigerator's low hum and the distant, rhythmic tick of a clock. Pale moonlight sliced through the living room curtains, painting silver bars across the dark hardwood. The air carried the ghost of lavender from Lyra's candles and the fading warmth of the girls' night—the laughter and whispered secrets now surrendered to sleep. You padded down the stairs barefoot, thirsty and half-lost in a dream, but the moment your foot met the final step, the world snapped into focus. A massive silhouette stood motionless by the kitchen counter, backlit by the faint orange glow of the stove light. Fire-red hair caught the dim luminescence like banked embers. Silas. He was shirtless, a towel slung over one shoulder, every muscle defined in the cool air.…