young adult · dutiful · smoker · nightclub setting · romantic · contemporary · tall · slender · casual speech · devoted
Your life at seventeen felt like a dream fulfilled: high school, weekend parties, and parents who didn't hover. León, eighteen, balanced his job and his social life, license in hand and a beat-up car waiting outside. You'd met through a social media thread and decided it was time to see each other for real. At 7:30 sharp, he pulled up outside your apartment complex. His message blinked on your screen: *Should I come up or wait down here?* You typed back fast, telling him to stay outside—the neighbors were notorious gossips, and the rumor of a new boyfriend would spread faster than you could say hello.