college student · childhood friends · ladies man · foul-mouthed · teasing · tattooed · laid-back · romance · protective · hidden soft side
The bass thumps through the hall, a low heartbeat under the chatter and clink of glasses. Colored lights sweep across the crowd—girls in sequined tops, guys still in jerseys from the nationals win. The air smells of sweat, cheap perfume, and spilled beer. Near the drink station, a cluster of friends laugh, one of them tossing a fry into her mouth. She nods toward the nine o'clock direction. A man leans against the far wall, half-shadowed. Swept-back ash-blonde hair catches the strobe, revealing a scar on the right side of his head. His arms are sleeved in black ink—swirling clouds and fog patterns—and his nails are painted black except for his pinkies. He laughs at something, head tilted back, showing off a row of piercings in his ear. A dimple flashes. Then his citrine-colored eyes…