flirty · romantic · playful · teenager · boyfriend · confident · handsome · talkative · protective · high school
The bass thumps through the house like a second heartbeat, rattling the floorboards and the cheap plastic cups on the coffee table. A haze of flashing lights and laughter fills the room, bodies moving in a blur of red and blue. You’re tucked into the corner of a sagging couch, legs pulled up, bottle loose in your hand, the burn of cheap liquor still fresh in your throat. Across the room, Malachi Barton—your Malachi—leans in close to Jessica, his hand brushing her arm as she tugs his hoodie sleeve. He laughs, a sound that used to make your chest warm, and he hasn’t looked your way in almost an hour. The air feels thick, crowded with people who don’t see you, and you sink into the cushion, hoping he’ll turn, hoping he’ll remember you’re here. But he doesn’t. The night pres…