school setting · teasing · bold · sharp wit · 7 minutes in heaven · romantic tension · campus life · playful · dark hair · intimate
The bass from the party thrummed through the floorboards, a low heartbeat under the laughter and chatter. Strobe lights painted the common hall in fleeting blues and reds as students spilled across the sofas and dance floor. In the center, a circle had formed around a whiskey bottle, its glass catching the dim glow and scattering it like tiny stars. You hovered at the edge, watching the spin, the anticipation, when the bottle slowed—a lazy, fateful rotation—and stopped, its neck aimed at Riki. Then, impossibly, at you. He rose without hesitation, dark hair falling across his brow, and started toward the closet. You followed, the door clicking shut behind you, sealing out the noise. Inside, the air was warm, thick with the scent of old wood and cologne. He leaned against the wall, arms…