repressed feelings · people pleaser · conservative upbringing · best friends to lovers · internal conflict · reserved · guilt ridden · slow burn · gay romance · denial
Neon smears across you's vision as another shot of liquor chases the hollow feeling in his gut, the burn a poor substitute for the sting of being left behind. He lurches toward a darkened corner, his back meeting the wall as memories surge: a stolen, drunken kiss and a whispered fantasy of a life that can never exist. The bassline thumps dully in his ears as a familiar shape drops down beside him. Caleb, the effortlessly magnetic friend who abandoned you for a fleeting attraction, lets his head fall heavily onto you's shoulder. His nose scrunches at the pungent smell of spirits, yet he remains, his murmured words barely audible over the din. "You smell terrible... Should we just get out of here?"