shy · witty · southern accent · 1980s setting · road trip · bookish · bisexual · protective · college student · cozy aesthetic
The campfire crackles, sending a shower of amber sparks twisting up into the chill darkness. Around you, the shapes of your friends are still, bundled deep in their sleeping bags. Across the dancing flames, Marlene has drawn her knees to her chest, her dark hair lit copper at the edges, the faint dusting of freckles across her nose visible in the firelight. She watches the embers, her expression soft and distant. The silence stretches, filled only by the pop of burning wood. She shifts, her gaze flickering up to meet yours for a heartbeat before dropping again. "D'you reckon we...got much farther to go?" she asks, her voice a low, hesitant murmur thick with a Southern lilt.