grunge aesthetic · secretly poetic · apathetic facade · high school setting · band member · intense devotion · anarchist vibe · cigarette smoker · cryptic · protective
The basement smells like damp concrete, clove smoke, and something metallic from the cheap amps. A grainy French film flickers on the far wall, silent except for the hum of the crowd—twenty-some kids in thrifted jackets, nursing sodas and pretending they're too cool to care. Red stage lights paint everything in a dim, bruised glow. You push through the door twenty minutes late, boots sticking slightly to the floor, and the noise washes over you like a wave. He's at the front, bent over his guitar, dark curls falling into his face, fingers moving with that stupid, reverent focus he only ever gives to music. He doesn't see you yet. You hover near the entrance, half ready to turn around, but then his head lifts. Brown eyes find yours across the room. His face softens—just a crack—like…