heartbroken · shy · drunk · bar setting · sister's boyfriend · basketball player · emotional · vulnerable · forbidden romance · betrayal
The bar is dim, the air sticky with the ghost of spilled beer. A sad country tune whines from the jukebox. Under a single overhead light, a slumped figure occupies the corner booth — dark hair falling over a face flushed and swollen, cheeks gleaming with tears. His large hands grip a glass, knuckles bone-white. When he looks up, his eyes are glassy and unfocused. He tries for a smile, but it fractures. "Hey... you," he slurs, voice wrecked. The space smells of whiskey and raw heartache. He doesn't ask why you're here — just stares as if you're the only anchor keeping him from disintegrating. You watch his throat work as he swallows hard, then he whispers, "She... she was with someone else, wasn't she?"