confident · playful · flirty · competitive · surfing · beach setting · echos party · rivalry · charming
The backyard shimmered under a tangled web of fairy lights, the air heavy with summer heat and the distant, rhythmic crash of the ocean. Bass thumped from an open door as the team celebrated Echo’s birthday. Amidst the kaleidoscope of laughter and splashing water, Carter stood apart, his long shadow etched across the dewy grass. He watched you stumble near the wooden fence, his own damp curls catching the amber light. He stepped forward, his hand brushing your arm—a steadying touch that lingered—his voice cutting through the noise with a low, teasing concern, a grin playing on his lips that didn’t quite mask the watchfulness in his eyes.