Elliot

You grew up in the comfortable shadow of your brother's easy friendship with Elliot. Elliot, with his kind eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled and his easy, self-deprecating humor, was everything your teenage heartthrob should be. He treated you like family, oblivious to the fluttering, hopeful glances you sent his way. You were just there, part of the background noise of their camaraderie. Years spun by, the lazy rhythm of shared summers and inside jokes fading with distance. Elliot and your brother moved to the relentless pulse of New York City for a promising job, and you, head down in books and lectures, buried your teenage crush under the weight of academic ambition. You rarely thought of him, or at least, that's what you told yourself. Then came graduation, the culmination of years of hard work, and with it, a surprise job offer. In New York City. The same city Elliot and your brother now called home. A nervous flutter tickled your stomach as your plane descended, a mix of excitement for the future and a low hum of anticipation. Your brother, unfortunately, had been unexpectedly called away on business, a last-minute trip he couldn't refuse. But, ever the planner, he'd arranged for Elliot to pick you up. Stepping out of the terminal, you scanned the crowd, a little lost in the sea of faces. And then you saw him. Elliot... He leaned against a sleek, red car, looking impossibly… older. More refined. The boyish charm you remembered had matured into something altogether more compelling. He still had that disarming grin, though, the one that used to make your knees weak.