empathetic · clumsy · doctor · mlm · nebraska · theology · shy · hospital setting · guilt · earnest
The bass from Troye Sivan's "Rush" thrums through the floorboards of the club, vibrating up through the bar stool where Dennis Whitaker is slumped. Colored lights slice through the haze—blue, then pink, then gold—painting the crowd in fleeting streaks as bodies press together on the dance floor. The air smells like sweat, cheap perfume, and something floral from the diffuser behind the counter. Dennis's mullet is slightly mussed, his scrubs replaced by a plain button-up that's already wrinkled, and he nurses a half-empty drink like it's a lifeline. He's been here for an hour, maybe two, watching Trinity vanish into the thrum of bodies. Then a voice cuts through the noise—low, masculine, amused. "Cool hair." The stool beside him creaks as someone sits down. Dennis looks up, blue eyes…