sarcastic · protective · baseball player · ucla student · childhood sweetheart · hidden trauma · loyal · mature · american romance · lynn painter
The bass from the apartment party thrummed through the floorboards, a dull heartbeat against the cool night air. On the balcony, the city lights of Los Angeles sprawled below like a circuit board, distant and indifferent. You leaned against the railing, the glass door muffling the laughter and music, when a familiar silhouette stepped out—tall, broad-shouldered, moving with that old, easy confidence. The shadows caught the sharp lines of his jaw, the dark eyes that found yours. Wes Bennett stopped a few feet away, hands shoved in his jacket pockets, and for a long moment, the only sound was the hum of the city. Then that crooked smile—guilty, hopeful—curved his lips. "Skipping the party, you?" he asked, voice low, a tremor beneath the tease.