loyal best friend · slow burn romance · art academy · protective · caring · college setting · childhood friends · supportive · crush
The string lights strung between the old brick dormitories smear into golden halos against the indigo sky. A distant pulse of music thrums through the pavement under our feet. My shoulder brushes yours as we walk, and I nod toward the gnarled silhouette of the maple tree where we used to skip class. Then you freeze. Your boyfriend is tangled with someone else in the shadow of the library steps. An hour later, we're inside a packed apartment, the smell of spilled beer and sweat thick in the air. You hold a sweating glass, your knuckles white. I catch your eye, my own concern a silent question. And now he's heading toward us, cutting a path through the crowd. What do you do?