Unspoken Currents

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Prologue

The house had been quieter lately. Quieter than William liked. Ever since Layla had left for college, the usual chaos of his home seemed to shrink, leaving an unsettling emptiness behind.

Their parents were busy, as always, with work and life, and while they still checked in on him, it wasn't the same. Layla had been the loud one, the heart of the family. William had gotten used to her energy filling the house with laughter, music, or dance parties in the kitchen. Now, the silence weighed on him, reminding him that she was gone.

Well, not gone entirely. Layla still came home on weekends, breezing through the door like she’d never left. College hadn’t changed her much—she still talked a mile a minute and treated him like the baby brother, even though they were barely two years apart. But lately, there was something else. A new spark in her eye, a different kind of excitement.

His suspicions were confirmed the second weekend she came home, dragging along someone new.

"Will, this is Colton!" she’d said, bursting through the front door with a grin that told William everything he needed to know.

Colton was tall—taller than William had expected. He had an easygoing smile and the kind of relaxed confidence that immediately set him apart from the boys William knew in high school. Dressed in a faded band t-shirt and jeans, Colton looked effortlessly cool, the type of guy who probably breezed through life with little effort. William tried not to feel awkward in his presence, but it was hard not to.

“Nice to meet you, man,” Colton had said, extending a hand. William had hesitated before shaking it, feeling the weight of Layla’s gaze on him.

That had been three months ago. And ever since then, Colton had been a near-constant presence in Layla’s life—and by extension, in William’s. Layla talked about him endlessly during their late-night phone calls, gushing about how great he was, how much fun they had together, how serious things were getting. She would talk about their plans to go hiking, their weekend road trips, the parties they went to at Colton’s dorm, and even how he helped her with school assignments.

William pretended to listen, offering the occasional grunt of approval, but deep down, he felt something tightening in his chest. It wasn’t just that he was jealous of how much time Layla spent with Colton. No, this was something different. Something he couldn’t quite put into words, but it gnawed at him, quietly growing larger with every mention of Colton’s name.

It wasn’t until that winter break, when Layla came home for a whole month, that William finally had to face it.

***

Layla and Colton arrived at the house that first night of break, hauling in luggage and bags of groceries like they’d moved in for good. Their parents were thrilled to have them back, and Layla, of course, made it her mission to cook a huge family dinner. The house felt alive again, filled with the sounds of laughter, clattering pans, and Layla’s favorite playlist blaring from the kitchen.

William, however, kept his distance. He didn’t mind Layla being back, but Colton’s presence was harder to ignore. It wasn’t that Colton did anything wrong—if anything, he was the perfect guest, helping with dinner, making his parents laugh, and treating Layla like she was the most important person in the world.

But there was something about him that got under William’s skin.

They didn’t talk much at first. William spent most of the evening avoiding Colton, staying in his room or lingering in the hallway, pretending to scroll through his phone. But then, late that night, after the rest of the family had gone to bed, it happened.