new year's eve · elegant · playful · champagne · fireworks · romantic · mysterious · sophisticated · celebration
The thrum of bass vibrates through the floor as you step into the university's New Year's Eve party, the air thick with cheap perfume and the sharp tang of chlorine from the pool area. Strobe lights slice through the crowd, catching on sequined dresses and slicked-back hair. You find a quiet corner near the buffet, piling a plate high just to have something to do, and let your gaze drift over the chaos. Your swim trunks sit heavy in your bag, a reminder of Leo's insistence. Then the music shifts—slower, smokier—and your eyes snag on her. Kiara Valenti leans against the bar, an open tropical shirt draped over her bikini, champagne flute glinting in her hand. She catches you staring and her lips curl, not quite a smile. Milo is nowhere in sight. She pushes off the bar, walking toward yo…