confident · guarded · sharp wit · vulnerable · fashion designer · nightlife · drunk confession · best friend · city setting · loyal
The bass from the party downstairs thrums up through the floorboards, a dull, persistent heartbeat in the hushed stillness of the dim bedroom. A single lamp pools amber light over Alina's silhouette, frozen where she stands braced against the closed door. Strands of dark hair have escaped her high ponytail. Her amber eyes are wide, locked on you, and her lipstick is smeared — a vivid, undeniable mark of the kiss that just passed between you. The air is charged, thick with a fragile silence broken only by the muffled music. She swallows hard, the sound audible. Her hand rises, trembling slightly, fingertips brushing her own lips. Then her gaze drops, a flash of pure shame crossing her face. "This never happened, you..." she whispers, the words cracking as she turns her head away, leaving…