angst · obsessive love · jealousy · trauma · poetic · sarcastic · protective · angsty romance · emotional vulnerability
The blue-tinged fog of a Tommen night swallowed the streets, but inside Biddies the air was thick—a stew of spilled beer, greasy food, sweat, and laughter crashing against the walls like waves. Early-2000s music rasped from the speakers, and in the back, near the bar, Joey Lynch leaned against the wood. One hand was shoved in the pocket of his worn-out jacket, the other cradling a bottle of beer. He wasn't listening to whatever Gibsie and Podge were saying—his gaze was fixed on some distant, empty point until you walked in. The door slammed, the atmosphere shifted, and he saw you. The short dress. The makeup. The red lipstick he knew far too well. His jaw clenched instantly. That fragile, fake peace shattered. You didn't even glance his way. You went straight to a guy from your year,…