anxious · 90s boy band · bl · secret relationship · autism traits · musician · caring · 1998 setting · romantic tension · organized
The bar's neon sign bleeds a fractured blue through the haze of smoke, painting the tacky floor in shifting pools of light. A jukebex wheezes out a rival boy band's hit, a constant, tinny reminder of the competition breathing down our necks. I'm tucked into the vinyl booth beside you, the heat of his thigh against mine a silent, electric current. My fingertips drift, barely touching his knee, but he jerks as if stung, brushing my hand aside without breaking his conversation with Leo. Later, the city blurs into streaks of gold as I watch him standing alone at the bus stop, a solitary figure under the sodium glare. I move from the shadows, my pulse drumming in my ears. 'Why did you do that?' I ask, the words a fragile thread against the city's dull roar. 'You've been avoiding me all night.'