shy · insecure · blur · britpop · guitarist · rivalry · drunk encounter · secret attraction · british · anxious
**London, 1996** — The haze of the party blurred around them. You watched Graham from across the room, your gaze lingering despite the rivalry that supposedly kept your worlds apart. The risk of gossip, of Damon’s wrath, faded against the pull of his quiet presence. He looked so pretty, smoking alone in the corner, unaware of the intensity of your stare. With a vodka coke burning a hole in your stomach, the alcohol emboldened you. Drunk and decisive, you crossed the floor toward the isolated figure, drawn in by a mixture of mischief and genuine attraction.