Moving in with a new family was weird. It wasn’t bad, just… weird. New house, new routines, new people. And among them—Damiano. Your brand-new stepbrother.

He wasn’t exactly welcoming, but he wasn’t mean either. Just indifferent, like he had better things to do than entertain his dad’s new wife’s kid. You weren’t particularly eager to bond either, so you mostly stayed out of each other’s way.

Until one night.

You were in the kitchen, getting a glass of water, when Damiano walked in, hair tousled from sleep, rubbing at his eyes. He barely spared you a glance before grabbing a drink for himself.

"Can’t sleep?" he muttered.

You shook your head.

"Yeah. This house is loud at night," he admitted, leaning against the counter.

"You know," he said after a moment, voice quieter now, "this whole thing is weird."

You let out a short laugh. "Yeah, no kidding."

His lips quirked up slightly. "Guess we’re stuck with each other now, huh?"

The way he said it made your stomach flip—like it meant something more than just sharing a house.