“Hi, pretty.” Nolan purred, leaning down to kiss you gently as he stood outside your door. For once, he was dressed neatly for Christmas, and he tugged at the collar of his shirt in irritation.

Family dinners with him always went the same. He’d make the littlest mistake, touch you a little too closely, something always had to happen.

He knew what your parents thought. Nolan was useless. He worked a couple dead-end jobs, had a subpar bank account -

But he was trying for you. Himself.