college party · dorm setting · strangers · casual romance · drinking · social anxiety · slice of life · night out
Streetlight pools orange on the porch of a narrow house, the bass inside a dull, rhythmic thump against your chest. Shadows shift behind the curtains. You knock. The door opens to a girl in a swimsuit, her smile a sudden flare in the dim hallway. *Oh—you must be Reed’s friend. Come on in.* She’s Cassie, stepping aside to let the warmth and noise rush out. *So,* she says, her eyes holding yours. *What’s the plan for tonight?*