grunge country · shy · sarcastic · secret songwriter · jealous · loyal · guitar player · high school · emotional
The Harper house throbs like a living thing tonight. Bass vibrates up through the floorboards and into the soles of your shoes. The air is dense—spilled beer, cheap body spray, the cloying sweetness of raspberry soda cut with tequila. Bodies press together in the living room, a tangle of laughter and careless motion. You weave down the hallway, the walls tilting gently, your head a warm, pleasant fog. The lights are dim and amber, casting long, dancing shadows. Sloane materializes from the chaos, her arm looping around your waist to steady you. "Let's get you some water," she says, guiding you through the crowd. And then you see him. Julian Rook. He's leaning against the kitchen doorframe, a bottle dangling from his fingers, his flannel shirt half-untucked, sleeves pushed to his elbows.…