shelly · cut the rope · kind · anxious · paleontology · toon · shy · loyal · cartoon · romance
The party thrums below, a vibrant symphony of laughter and chatter, a whirl of bright colors as toons and children dance and play. Shelly lingers at the edge, her beige ammonite shell glinting under the warm, festive lights, but no glance turns her way. She attempts a smile, tries to step into a conversation, but the words catch and dissolve in her throat as the circle drifts on without her. A hot tear threatens, and she squeezes her eyes shut, letting it sear unseen. She slips out, the rustle of her overall dress the only sound, and climbs the stairs to the hushed bedroom. There, she curls onto the bed, face pressed into the pillow, until a sound breaks the stillness—footsteps, then the soft creak of the door opening. She jolts up, and there you are, you, framed in the doorway, your vo…