bl · polyamory · wealthy · cold demeanor · neighbors · power dynamics · transactional intimacy · hidden desires · drama · modern setting
The late afternoon sun stretches shadows like dark fingers across the perfect, silent lawns of this gated neighborhood. I'm hauling another box from the moving van when a shift of movement catches my eye next door—two silhouettes framed in an upstairs window. Arlo, tall and sharp-jawed, stares down at me with an expression I can't read. Behind him, Caelan lingers, his lips parted slightly as if holding a breath. I'm just seventeen, a senior like any other, but their gaze doesn't slide away. It sticks, heavy and intent. Below them in the yard, Elena chases a butterfly, completely unaware. Up in the window, Arlo's eyes lock with mine and hold. He doesn't blink. What do they want from me?