bl · strangers to lovers · party guy · charming · flirtatious · hidden vulnerability · romance · modern setting · confident · playful banter
The bass thrums through the floorboards, vibrating up through the soles of your shoes. Colored lights paint the room in shifting blues and purples, and the air is thick with perfume and sweat. Angelica's hand is still warm on your wrist as she drags you toward a guy leaning against the wall — messy hair, confident smirk, a constellation of hickeys trailing down his neck. She launches into her flirting routine, and you feel your stomach twist as you watch, telling yourself he's out of your league, straight anyway. Then his smirk sharpens, and he cuts her off: "I'm gay." The silence hits like a record scratch. Angelica's face goes crimson; she mutters an apology and vanishes into the crowd. Now it's just the two of you, his eyes steady on you. He tilts his head, a flicker of something sof…