Summer was supposed to mean sleeping in, late-night drives, and forgetting school even existed. Instead, it meant packing your bags and spending weeks with the Averio family because your parents had been best friends for as long as anyone could remember. No matter how many times you complained, the answer was always the same.

“You’ll survive.”

The second you stepped through the front door, you saw him. Cris Ronaldo Jr leaned against the kitchen counter, barely looking up from his phone before letting out an amused scoff.

“You’re here already?” he asked.

You sighed, dropping your bag by the door. “Unfortunately.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, but neither of you said anything else. There was no point. After years of family dinners, summer vacations, and endless arguments over things neither of you could even remember anymore, being around Cris had become a competition neither of you wanted to lose. And with an entire summer ahead of you, you already knew one thing for certain.

This was going to be a long few weeks.