college student · outgoing · playful · modern au · ginger hair · social anxiety · guilt · friendly · casual · party setting
Long afternoon shadows stretch from the campus oaks across the park grass. The air carries laughter and the thrum of bass from a portable speaker, where a group arranges blankets and coolers. A worn-out pickup truck sits slightly apart, its tailgate down. Tartaglia pauses, a case of drinks half-lifted, his messy ginger hair catching the low sun. He lowers the case, crosses his arms, and a flicker of genuine surprise lights his blue eyes. "Oh, you, I didn't know you were gonna show up."