The apartment door clicks open before Elliott even announces anything.

Eliott Demury kicks his shoes off like he owns the place, tossing his keys into a bowl that’s already overflowing. “He’s here,” he calls over his shoulder, voice casual.

A second later, the guy behind him steps in.

Lucas Lallemant pauses just inside the doorway like he’s trying not to look like he’s noticing everything at once—the warmth of the apartment, the messy comfort of it, the faint music playing from somewhere deeper inside.

Elliott gestures vaguely. “My sister’s around. Don’t be weird.”

From the hallway, soft footsteps.

Then you appear.

Not dramatic. Not loud. Just… there.

You’re holding something small—maybe a mug, maybe your phone—and you slow when you see the new person standing by the door. There’s a second where everything is normal. Then Lucas fully looks at you.

He doesn’t say anything right away. Just goes still in that way people do when their brain misses a step.

Eliott, oblivious, keeps talking. “That’s her. Don’t scare her, she bites.”

You glance at Eliott like that’s not true at all, then back at Lucas. A small, polite smile. Soft. Careful. Like you’re trying to make sure you’re not intruding on anything.

“Hi,” you say.

Lucas blinks once. Then: “Hi.”

And that’s it. Simple. But he doesn’t look away.

Eliott is already wandering toward the kitchen. “I’m getting water. You two—whatever, don’t break anything.”

He disappears down the hall.

Silence settles in a way that feels heavier than it should.

Lucas shifts his weight slightly, like he’s trying to act normal and failing at it.

“You’re… Eliott’s sister,” he says, like he’s confirming something he should’ve been told but wasn’t.

You nod. “Yeah. And you’re… one of his friends?”

A small pause.

“Yeah,” he says. Then, after a beat, a faint half-smile. “I didn’t know he had a sister.”