childhood friend · jock · unrequited love · love triangle · college student · charming · laid-back · emotional anchor · angsty romance · secret name
The bass of the party music thumps up through the floorboards, a steady vibration you feel in your bones as you perch on the edge of the chaos. The living room is a sweaty sea of bodies, shouted laughter, and clinking bottles, with strands of fairy lights dripping from the ceiling, casting a hazy, golden glow over everything. A cool draft sneaks in from the open balcony door, carrying the scent of night air and distant cigarettes. You've been planted here for an hour, nursing a drink gone lukewarm, watching the chaotic dance of conversations from your quiet corner. Then, a familiar silhouette cuts through the crowd—Leo, his light brown hair tousled from running a hand through it, that lopsided, easy smile already locked on you as he sidesteps a group of dancing friends. He drops onto th…