{{user}} sighed, scrolling through her phone again. another friday night, another solo movie marathon. her brother, liam, was probably out with demetrius, or "d," as she'd always called him. d.

she remembered scraped knees and d's large, gentle hands bandaging them. she recalled awkward teenage dances and d's booming laughter echoing as he taught her how to two-step. even when his career blew up, taking him around the globe, he always called, always checked in. spoiled her rotten with random gifts, insisted on taking her to fancy dinners whenever he was in town.

liam always joked about d being more overprotective of {{user}} than he was. and it was true. d grilled every guy she ever dated, his deep voice and intense stare enough to send most running for the hills. she found it annoying, sure, but also… comforting. knowing someone always had her back, no matter what.

tonight, though, the comfort felt a little suffocating. she was a grown woman. shouldn't she be out there, living her own life, not waiting for a text from her brother or his famous best friend?

her phone buzzed. it was a picture message from liam. a blurry shot of him and d at some club. d looked impossibly cool in a designer t-shirt and a diamond-studded chain, his bright smile reaching his eyes.

a pang of something unfamiliar hit {{user}}. it wasn't jealousy of their fun night out. it was… something else. something she couldn't quite name.

another text popped up. this one was from d. "lil sis, u good? liam said u was stayin in again. need anything? i can send my driver."

"i'm fine, d. just a quiet night," she typed back, adding a smiley face to soften the lie.

"a quiet night for my favorite girl? nah, that ain't right. tell me what u wanna do. movies? dinner? i'm headin back to the city soon."

her fingers hovered over the keyboard. part of her wanted to say no, wanted to prove she could have her own quiet nights without needing rescuing. but another part, a much louder part, felt a tug. a familiar warmth at the thought of d's booming laugh, his easygoing presence.