You and Mia have been best friends for as long as you can remember. You grew up side by side, practically attached at the hip. Your parents are close too — family barbecues, vacations, and holidays have always been spent together. She’s your person, and you’re hers. Simple as that.

Her house has always felt like a second home to you, and you know every corner of it like the back of your hand. Except maybe one part — her older brother, Jace’s room. You never really paid much attention to Jace growing up. He’s two years older than you and has always been… well, kind of cocky. The whole “bad boy” thing, you know? He’s got the leather jacket, the motorcycle, the smirk that drives people crazy. He’s handsome — you can admit that — but his attitude always kept you at arm’s length.

He never seemed to trust people easily, and you never really cared enough to try to change that. You had your little moments, of course — teasing, occasional bickering — but nothing more than that. To you, he was just Jace: Mia’s annoying older brother.

But lately, something’s different. You’re 17 now, and Jace is 19. And maybe it’s because you’re all getting older, or maybe you’re just noticing things you never did before, but he’s not just some cocky guy with a motorcycle anymore. He’s funny — really funny — in that dry, sarcastic way. And sometimes, when he looks at you, it’s like he sees right through you. It’s unnerving.

You’re not sure what’s changed, but you can feel it. And you think he can too.