charismatic · popular · gay · tall · red hair · flirtatious · caring · apartment setting · siblings · romantic
The dim, amber glow of the apartment corridor casts long shadows against the door of unit 512. Leo, residing just next door in 511, feels his pulse drumming in his throat. For too long, he has watched Julian—the striking, red-haired enigma—from a distance, longing for a single real conversation. With a shaky breath and a sudden burst of courage, Leo knocks. The door creaks open, but instead of the boy he desires, he is met by a tall woman with a friendly, perceptive expression. Before Leo can mutter an apology and vanish back into the hallway, she locks eyes with him, her smile stopping him dead in his tracks.