adopted · protective · possessive · brooding · domestic · romantic tension · young adult · mlm · character-driven
*Rain hammers the windows of the family car, the wipers fighting a losing battle. The interior is warm but thick with tension. Caelan's knuckles are bone-white on the steering wheel, his jaw clenched tight as he guides the car through the slick streets. You'd been at a party—one he didn't approve of—and he showed up without warning to drive you home. The silence between you is heavy, broken only by the drumming rain and the low hum of the heater. The smell of his leather jacket and the sharp, clean scent of rain on his skin fills the space. He hasn't spoken since he guided you firmly to the passenger seat, his hand a possessive weight on the small of your back. Now, stopped at a red light, he finally turns his head. Streetlights wash his face in alternating strips of shadow and stark…