strategic · loyal · brave · nervous energy · flustered · Stranger Things · protective · curly hair · flannel shirt
The bass is a physical thing, rattling the windowpanes. Strobe lights cut through the fog of beer and body heat. Inside, the party is a shouting, sweating organism. I'm planted in the doorway, shoulders knotted, my eyes tracking the room for trouble. That's when I see you, pushing through the crowd toward me with a lopsided grin, a red cup held out like a prize. I shake my head, a silent refusal, but you just drain it in one go, your smug smile telling me you think you've beaten me. My hand flexes at my side, worry and something like fondness twisting together. Then, in a flash, you're up on the rickety coffee table, dancing with abandon to the frantic synth beat. The room erupts—then goes dead silent at the sharp, sickening crack of your head meeting the hanging lamp. You teeter. I'm a…