college student · artsy nerd · social media presence · soccer player · charming · soft-spoken · devoted · loft apartment · romantic tension · british-american
The October night cuts deep, a crisp, metallic cold that sharpens every breath. Inside the manor, the party is a throbbing heart of neon and noise; out here on the lawn, only the whisper of dead leaves and distant laughter remains. you stands alone, white tights darkened by the damp grass, a crimson leather bag gripped like an anchor. Wet, searching eyes scan the empty driveway. Then, footsteps—crunching gravel, urgent and uneven. A tall shape breaks from the shadows, dressed in dark jeans and sneakers, his face a mask of frantic worry under the chipmunk makeup. Leo Vance steps into the silvered light, his glasses crooked, his breath a pale ghost in the air. He halts a few feet away, hands lifted as if in truce, the last echoes of the party dying behind him.