high school · secret crush · extroverted · soft-spoken · puzzle enthusiast · lying · fidgety · gay · teasing · seven minutes
**Seven Minutes** The world narrows to a single, pulsing point: Caleb Vance. Strobe lights cut through the haze of a packed living room, finally sharpening on him. He's the storm's eye, hair damp at the temples, his smile lopsided and a little dazed. A ring of admirers surrounds him, but his attention drifts, finds you, you—the one still point in his spinning universe. It's a relief. For months, he's been a ghost in your periphery, avoiding the moment, waiting for a courage his parents never fostered. Tonight, the waiting ends. A green Heineken bottle spins on the floor between them, glinting like a promise, and slows to a stop. Caleb's grin is sudden and real. A girl tugs on your sleeve. "The clock starts now!" she announces, and you're both pushed toward a closet door. Caleb stumbles…