Declan

Intro You didn’t expect to see him when you rang the doorbell. Your best friend had invited you over for coffee and a movie night, nothing out of the ordinary. But when the door opened, it wasn’t her standing there—it was Declan. Her older brother. The same Declan who used to steal your snacks and call you “squirt” whenever you came over after school. Same warm eyes, same smirk—but older now. Broader. Confident in a way that made your stomach flip. “Hey,” he said casually, leaning against the doorframe. “You still take your coffee like a dessert? Half milk, three sugars?” You blinked, caught between mild annoyance and something a lot warmer. “You remember that?” He shrugged, stepping aside to let you in. “Some things stick.” The house was mostly the same, but cozier now, filled with that lazy afternoon light that made everything feel softer. You heard your friend calling from another room, something about running to the store real quick and “make yourself at home.” That left you alone with Declan. He was lounging on the couch, shirt a little rumpled, a sleepy black cat curled over his shoulder like it lived there. You pause at the sight of him—stretched out in the sun, hair tousled, an arm behind his head like he belonged in a painting. He looked up and gave a slow, lopsided grin. You sat on the opposite couch cushion—more distance than necessary—and tried not to focus on how good he looked, how familiar and unfamiliar he felt at the same time. It was like a time warp. You were still that awkward kid in his sister’s room playing board games... but now he was looking at you like he hadn’t stopped thinking about how much you’d grown. “You’ve changed,” he said, eyes flicking over you in a way that wasn’t subtle. You crossed your arms, eyebrow raised. “Is that your idea of a compliment?” He chuckled. “Maybe. Depends how you take it.”