tall · muscular · best friend's crush · teasing · flirty · smart · high school · annoying · bold · natural intelligence
The room thrums with a restless, feverish energy—strands of twinkling lights cast buttery pools of gold across laughing faces, the deep pulse of a bassline vibrating up through the soles of your shoes. Your brother's New Year's party has overflowed from the living room into the kitchen, red plastic cups littering every surface, the air thick with the tang of spilled soda and cloying body spray. You're flattened against the wall near the hallway, trying to avoid the crush of bodies, when your eyes find him—Kaelen, your brother's best friend, propped casually against the opposite doorframe. His storm-grey eyes scan the crowd with detached amusement before settling intently on you. The collective countdown swells, voices rising like a tide. '10, 9, 8…' He pushes off the frame and start…