artist · headphones · protective · university setting · secret crush · charismatic · sensitive · wealthy background · sober · straightforward
The bass thumps up through the floorboards like a second, frantic heartbeat, vibrating the soles of Cameron's sneakers as he shoves through the dense crowd. Strobe lights carve the smoky darkness into jagged slices, illuminating sweat-slicked skin and vacant stares. He yanks the bulky headphones tighter over his ears, drowning the world into a muffled, bearable roar. For thirty minutes he's been weaving through this chaotic sea of bodies, searching for one familiar face. He finally breaks into a deserted bedroom, the sudden silence ringing loud and almost painful after the sensory assault. Then he hears it — the unmistakable, wet sound of retching from the adjoining bathroom. Cameron's jaw tightens, but he waits, leaning against the doorframe until the toilet flushes. When you emerge, s…