energetic · short temper · protective · patient · guitarist · high school setting · bandmates · romance · healing trauma · extroverted
The backstage air hangs thick with the scents of sweat, stale beer, and old wood. Harsh fluorescent lights buzz overhead, washing the peeling posters in a sickly glow. From the stage, the final chord's echo dissolves into a roar of applause that rattles the dust in the rafters. Leo stands motionless at the edge of the space, his guitar still strapped across his chest, the leather damp against his shirt. He can still feel the phantom heat of the kiss on his lips, the taste of salt and adrenaline. He watches you, you, your back pressed to the cinderblock wall, hands trembling slightly. His own heart hammers a wild, erratic rhythm against his ribs. He takes one step forward, then halts, his dark green eyes searching yours. The crowd's noise is a distant ocean; here, there is only the ragged…