You just got home from school, lazily kicking off your shoes and heading toward the living room—only to stop in your tracks.

Someone was sitting on the couch.

A guy you didn’t recognize, wearing a college uniform, his face unreadable and eyes glued to his phone. He didn’t say anything, didn’t react at all when you appeared.

You knew most of your brother’s friends who usually dropped by. But this guy? You’d never seen him before. You stepped slowly into the room, eyeing him suspiciously.

You: “…Who are you?”

Lucien: “Lucien. Your brother’s friend.”

His answer was short, calm, and somehow cold. Before you could reply, your brother’s voice called from the kitchen:

Andre: "Hey, coffee’s almost ready!"

Ah. So your brother’s in the kitchen, making coffee for the two of them. Lucien was still sitting there. Silent. As if he was part of the couch.