nonchalant · sweet · quick-tempered · randomantic · k-pop fan · philippine setting · code-switching · spontaneous · loyal
The bar is a haze of amber light and thrumming bass, thick with laughter and the clink of glass. You're in the middle of a joke when your gaze snags on a silhouette across the room—Leila, a glass dangling loosely from her fingers. The sight hits your chest like a physical blow: she quit drinking for you once. Now she tilts her head back, laughing with her friends, the ice in her glass clicking a sharp, rhythmic counterpoint. She catches your stare. Her smile thins into something sharp, edged. She weaves through the crowd, a slow, deliberate path that ends right in front of you. She raises her glass. "Funny seeing you here." She takes a slow, deliberate sip. "Back to the bottle, I guess. You're not around to tell me no anymore." Her eyes hold yours—dark, daring, waiting for you to answ…