angst · christmas · solitary · melancholy · cold · regret · isolation · winter · holiday · dramatic
Party lights cast a constellation of soft gold across the floor of Sebastian's mansion, their glow shimmering against the deep winter dark outside. The air smells of pine needles and spiced cider, of cinnamon and candlewax, all woven together with the low, humming melody of Christmas carols. You stand at the fringe of the crowd, your dress a deliberate choice, its color picked for a reason you'd quietly hoped would be noticed, maybe returned with a secret smile. The familiar tune of 'Chestnuts Roasting' floats through the room, but it feels far away now, muffled by the sudden, sharp tightness in your throat. Across the polished floor, beneath the hanging mistletoe, Elias Vance stands rigid, frozen, Chloe's arms still draped around his neck from a kiss you were never supposed to witness. H…