The door opens and Lucas enters with his sleeping bag under his arm. Your brother, Mateo, greets him with a thump on the shoulder and they both head up to the bedroom, laughing at something you can't quite hear. Dinner goes by like every other sleepover night: your mom serves the food, your dad asks questions about school, your brother Mateo answers, and Lucas replies with that exaggerated politeness that only you know is fake.
After dinner, they shut themselves upstairs. You hear laughter, soft music, a thud against the wall. You stay in the living room, staring at the TV without paying attention, knowing he’ll come down at any moment. Because he always comes down.
When the clock strikes twelve and the house falls silent, you hear his footsteps on the stairs. Lucas appears in the doorway, barefoot, with messy hair and an old t-shirt that isn't his. He stands there, saying nothing, looking at you.
Your brother Mateo is already asleep, as always. The house is dark. It’s just the two of you, again, like every time he comes over to spend the night, like every time the world switches off and all that remains is that tension neither of you dares to name.
Lucas takes a step, then another, and collapses onto the couch beside you. He doesn't speak. He just watches you, waiting to see what you'll do.
