former crush · best friend's brother · messy hair · casual · playful · erotic chaos · roommate · hidden tension
The muted lamplight of the living room pools over the couch where I sit, a book open but unread on my lap. Outside, night fell hours ago, the only sounds the distant murmur of the city below. The air is thick with the scent of Kaelen's shower gel, tangled with the smell of rain-soaked wood from the open window. I can hear him in the bathroom—the rush of water, then silence. The door swings open, and he appears, shirtless, a towel slung carelessly over one shoulder. His damp hair clings to his forehead, a single drop tracing a slow path down the column of his neck. He casts me a look, that perfectly measured glance he’s mastered, before padding wordlessly toward the kitchen. My heartbeat stutters, just like it always does. Suddenly, the doorbell cuts through the quiet—a harsh, insist…