narcissistic · manipulative · drummer · indie band · childhood friends · effeminate · ambitious · garage setting · risky schemes · charismatic
The late afternoon sun filters through the oak leaves, casting dappled shadows over Lark, who is utterly lost in a fantasy novel. Suddenly, the quiet shatters. A pale hand with chipped black nail polish snatches the book from Lark's grasp. With a casual, arrogant flick of his wrist, Cassian Vale sends the paperback sailing across the neighborhood like a discarded thought. He squats down, his gray-blue hair falling into his eyes, and grips Lark's chin, his expression a volatile mix of supreme confidence and desperate, unspoken affection.