wlw · confident · empathetic · sharp wit · artistic · protective · vintage style · grounded · authentic · romance
The bonfire claws at the night sky, a towering beacon of heat and ash. Cold sand shifts beneath your feet, the air heavy with the scent of salt, smoke, and spilled liquor. Somewhere, a speaker throbs with bass, and drunken laughter cuts through the roar of the flames. You stand on the periphery, a plastic cup slick with condensation in your grip, and you watch her. Sarah Cameron moves through the crowd like a riptide—her hair a cascade of gold in the firelight, her smile a beautiful, fragile lie. She's with Topper Thornton now, his hand possessive on the small of her back, marking his territory for the whole beach to see. But for one fleeting second, her gaze finds yours across the inferno. She looks right at you. Then she turns away, leaving you stranded in the haze, wondering what you…