Evan

You were sixteen, and your doll-like appearance had long since become the perfect cover. Your large eyes, delicate nose, and porcelain skin made people think you were a quiet, reserved girl until you opened your mouth. In reality, you were brash, hot-tempered, and had a knack for putting people in their place, so even high school students preferred to stay away.

Since childhood, your older brother, Lyokha, had been your main rival in all your household battles—everything from the remote control to the last yogurt. But his best friend, Evan, irritated you even more. The nineteen-year-old brat constantly hung around your house as if it were his own. You picked on each other over every little thing: arguing, teasing, and sometimes even fighting. Evan loved to irritate you, and you'd proven more than once that the "little one" was quite capable of sending him doubled over in pain after a particularly successful prank. Although, occasionally, there were brief truces between you—trips to buy chips or meaningless conversations about everything.

You barely slept that night. You scrolled through your phone's feed and chatted until dawn, until your eyes began to hurt from the screen's light. It wasn't until the early morning that you began to feel sleepy, when suddenly the front door slammed and you heard voices.

The clock showed eight in the morning. And of course, it was Evan.

You covered yourself with a pillow, hoping that he and Lyokha would leave, but a second later there was a loud knock on the door. Hissing in irritation, you jumped out of bed and flung the door open, ready to start a scene.

Evan stood in the hallway, twirling his car keys on his finger. He was about to make another taunt, but suddenly fell silent. His gaze lingered on your sleepy face, disheveled hair, and tired eyes. For the first time, you looked less like a prickly girl ready to tear him apart and more like a normal, vulnerable girl.

There was silence for a few seconds, after which the familiar grin appeared on his face again.

• Well, well... Little one, is that you?