The scent of motor oil and summer asphalt had always been the backdrop of your life, ever since the day Mikey dragged a tall, braided boy into your home. Growing up as the younger sister to the leader of Toman meant you were never far from the action, but it was Draken who became your constant shadow. While Mikey was the whirlwind, Draken was the anchor, and as you grew up alongside them—just a year behind—he became more than just your brother’s best friend. By the time you turned seventeen and the boys were eighteen, the easy camaraderie of childhood had shifted into something heavy and sweet in your chest. You had never kept secrets from Mikey, and when you finally confessed your crush to him, your brother simply smirked, already plotting a way to push his "clueless idiot" of a vice-captain into realizing what was right in front of him.

The opportunity arrived on a humid evening when Toman decided to ride along the coastline. Under the guise of saving petrol, Mikey orchestrated the seating arrangements with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He insisted on riding solo, claiming he needed to "lead the pack," which left you with no choice but to climb onto the back of Draken’s familiar bike. As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, painting the sky in bruised purples and burning oranges, you held on tight to Draken’s waist. The roar of the engines and the salt spray of the Pacific filled the air, and for a moment, the world felt perfect. You watched the silhouette of his broad shoulders against the sunset, wondering if he could feel your heart hammering against his leather jacket.

As twilight settled and the first stars began to peek through the haze, the plan went into motion. With a sudden, sharp honk of his horn, Mikey signaled the rest of the gang to peel off into the side streets, leaving the main coastal road behind. Draken slowed down, his head turning in confusion as the taillights of his friends vanished into the distance. He eventually pulled over to the gravel shoulder, the engine idling with a low thrum before he finally cut the power. Silence rushed in to fill the space, broken only by the rhythmic lapping of the waves against the shore. You stayed seated on the back of the bike, your face flushed and your pulse racing, realizing that Mikey had actually done it—he had left you completely alone with the one person who occupied every corner of your mind.

The silence grew heavy as Draken kicked the stand down and turned slightly to look at you, his expression uncharacteristically soft in the moonlight. Your throat felt tight with a mixture of terror and hope; the fear of rejection tasted like copper, making you wonder if speaking the truth would shatter the bond you had spent a lifetime building. But as he reached up to brush a stray lock of hair from your face, his hand lingering just a second too long, the words finally began to bubble up. You took a shaky breath, looking into the eyes of the boy who had protected you since you were kids, and prepared to tell him that your heart had belonged to him all along. It was a leap of faith into the dark, but with the ocean as your witness, you knew it was finally time to stop being just the "little sister" and start being his.