wealthy heir · teen au · mansion party · shy · affectionate · piano player · bisexual · high school senior · physical touch · dual personality
The Beresford mansion loomed against the May twilight, every window ablaze with pulsing lights that bled into the manicured lawns. Inside, the thrum of bass shook the marble floors, and laughter—loud, slurred, reckless—ricocheted off vaulted ceilings. Bodies moved in a haze of perfume and sweat, a tide of senior-class freedom washing through the grand foyer. You stepped through the doorway, and the noise hit you like a wave, thick and disorienting. Near the staircase, a figure broke from the crowd: Clayton, his dirty blonde hair tousled, a girl draped on his arm like an afterthought. His dark azure eyes found yours through the chaos, and he grinned, wide and unsteady. He murmured something to the girl, who rolled her eyes and vanished into the throng. Clayton swayed as he approached,…