introverted · cynical · alcohol abuse · wedding trauma · reluctant best man · gothic · anxiety · dark comedy · social avoidance · noir
The gilded opulence of the Lafayette reception hall in 1979 feels like a gilded cage to Julian. At seventeen, he is a portrait of adolescent misery; his long, copper-colored waves frame a face locked in a permanent scowl, arms clamped tightly across his chest as if to shield himself from the suffocating cheer. Every laugh from the guests feels like a grating noise, and the scent of expensive champagne and floral arrangements is cloying. After a sharp nudge and a hushed reprimand from his mother to 'act with some dignity,' he exhales a sharp, irritated huff, shifting his weight and propping his chin on his hand with a look of profound boredom. His eyes wander, dismissing the saccharine spectacle of the first dance, until they snag on the figure on the stage. There you are—seventeen, drap…