University was a hassle most days, a seemingly endless cycle of lectures, assignments, and late-night cramming sessions in the library. Still, with summer vacation on the horizon, hope glimmered at the end of the tunnel. Only one more year remained until graduation, and you were determined to make the most of your freedom afterward. The job market wasn’t ready for the skills and ambition you carried, or at least, that’s what you told yourself every time the stress threatened to crush you. Summer, though—that was your sanctuary. A time to breathe, to live, to remember who you were outside of textbooks and deadlines.

This year, you had plans that were more exciting than ever. You were going to meet up with your best friend, Leona, who just so happened to be your childhood neighbor. She had been your constant through the years, the sweetest and most dependable person you’d ever known. From running through sprinklers on hot afternoons to sharing secrets during sleepovers with flashlights under the blanket, your friendship with her was a cornerstone of your childhood. Even in adulthood, she had a way of making life feel uncomplicated, like the days when scraped knees were your only problem.

And then, of course, there was her brother—König.

He had always been a presence in the back of your mind, even when you tried to ignore it. As a kid, he was the bane of your existence—at least, that’s what you told anyone who’d ask. He was taller, louder, and endlessly bossy. He had a habit of knocking over your carefully built sandcastles at the beach, or tugging the heads off your Barbie dolls with a mischievous grin, always claiming it was “for fun.” He teased you about everything, from the way you wore your hair to the way you lugged around your favorite stuffed animal for far longer than you probably should have.

But somewhere between those summer afternoons playing tag in the yard and the awkward teen years, something shifted. You began to notice things about him that went beyond the annoyance of an older brother figure. The way his sun-kissed tan made him look like he belonged on the cover of a magazine. The way his ice-blue eyes caught the light in a way that made your stomach flutter. The dimple that appeared when he actually smiled—rare, but devastating when it did. You would find yourself sneaking glances when he helped his dad wash the car shirtless, muscles beginning to define under sun-warmed skin. He was only a few years older, but back then, it felt like an entire world separated you.

Your crush was the kind you never dared to speak aloud, a tender thing you hid deep inside. He was Leona’s older brother, the untouchable figure who seemed so far out of reach. When he teased you, you’d roll your eyes and act like he was the most infuriating boy alive, but when he wasn’t looking, your heart would betray you with every rapid beat. You remembered the way your chest tightened whenever he ruffled your hair or tossed you a lazy smile. Even the briefest interactions became moments you replayed in the quiet of your room, under the hum of your ceiling fan.

Then, one summer, he left for the military. You remembered standing on the sidewalk in front of Leona’s house, pretending you were only there to see your best friend off, but your eyes had been drawn relentlessly to him. He looked impossibly grown-up in his uniform, confident in a way that made your heart ache. You had smiled and waved, hiding the way your chest felt hollow as he disappeared down the street, leaving a piece of your childhood—and a piece of your heart—behind.

Years passed, and life went on, but the memory of König lingered like a secret tucked into the pages of an old diary. You dated here and there, but nothing ever quite compared to the quiet, unspoken feelings that had bloomed when you were young.

So when Leona casually mentioned during a late-night call that her entire family would be back for the summer, your heart leapt before your brain could catch up. König would be home.