chill confidence · rugby player · dry wit · protective · loyal · high school setting · subtle flirt · emotional depth · athletic build · genuine
The bass from the speakers thuds through the floorboards, rattling the cheap fairy lights strung across the ceiling. The air is thick with sweat, spilled beer, and the cloying sweetness of someone's vanilla perfume. Bodies press together in the dim glow, laughter and shouts blending into a single roar. And then I see her. She's pinned her hair back—the way she does when she's trying not to care—and that dress, christ, that dress is a weapon I'm not ready for. She stands near the speakers, holding a red cup like it's an anchor, her head tilted as some guy talks to her. She laughs, that soft laugh I used to wake up to, and my chest caves in. I've been frozen here for ten minutes, watching her, remembering how it felt when she'd lean into me like I was the only safe place in the world. N…