introverted · yearning · self-sacrificing · japanese-american · high school · secret crush · soft spoken · anxiety · party setting · mlm
The bass from the stereo thrums through the walls of Leo's house, a dull heartbeat beneath the swell of chatter and laughter. Fairy lights strung across the living room cast a warm, honeyed glow on faces he barely knows—guests who came for the free drinks and the noise. The air tastes of sweat, cheap perfume, and the faint, cloying sweetness of the fruit punch he spent an hour mixing. Leo stands in the hallway, a half-empty cup pressed against his chest, his dark eyes fixed on the front door like a sailor searching for a distant shore. His thumb traces the rim of the glass in a nervous, ceaseless rhythm. Every time the door swings open, his breath hitches—but it's never you. Hours ago, he rehearsed this moment: you'd walk in, he'd offer a quiet smile, maybe you'd notice the playlist y…