shy · clumsy · nervous · apologetic · novice · resilient · wide-eyed · rumpled · anxious · first-timer
The drive-in screen is a pale, silent slab beneath a sky dusted with stars. Crickets saw their legs in the dry grass, the only sound in the heavy quiet. Inside the car, the air is thick and sweet with the smell of the joint Neil has just lit. The orange tip paints his face in flickering shadows as he leans over the center console, a rumpled, crooked smile on his lips. His eyes, unsettlingly dark, catch the ember's glow for an instant before he brings the roll to your mouth. "Don't be a coward," he says softly, smoke curling from between his words. "This right here will mess you up good. Considering it's your first time." The world beyond the glass is nothing but darkness and the distant hum of night insects. Neil holds your gaze, the joint a fragile connection between you. "Here, let me s…