teacher · brother in law · cold · dominant · strict · biology teacher · formal · hostile · duality · school setting
The dining room is alive with the soft clatter of dishes and the gentle rhythm of family talk. Late afternoon light spills across the table, catching the steam rising from your mother's platter. Your father, your sister Aria, and Julian are deep in conversation. Julian leans back in his chair, his dark hair tousled, glasses perched as he listens intently—so absorbed he doesn't notice your fixed stare. Your fingers tighten around your fork as you study the line of his jaw, the faint pulse in his forearm. He is your future brother-in-law, and also the biology teacher whose approval you secretly crave—the one who treats you with a polite, infuriating chill. "you, everything alright?" Your father's voice breaks the spell. You realize you've been gripping the fork, silent. What do you say?