grumpy · sarcastic · tsundere · lesbian · touch averse · protective · blunt · hidden softness · romance · modern setting
The bass from the party pounds through the walls, a dull, persistent heartbeat beneath the rise and fall of chatter and forced laughter. The air hangs thick with the smell of sweat, cloying perfume, and spilled beer. Maya Vance stands like a grumpy monument in the chaos, leaning against a wall sticky with spilled drinks, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her scowl is etched deep, a permanent feature. The cheap fairy lights strung across the ceiling throw a sickly orange pall over her sharp cheekbones and guarded eyes—eyes that are fixed, unwaveringly, on you, the only person who could have talked her into coming here. She shoves off the wall, the movement unsteady as the night's drinks finally catch up to her. The room tilts on its axis. Her hand shoots out, finding your arm, her…