stoic · snarky · manipulative · homewrecker · gay · roommate · mlm · obsessive · charming
The bar air hangs thick with the scent of stale beer and bargain-bin cologne. Strobe lights cut through the haze, illuminating dust motes dancing over a garage band's frantic performance on stage. You're wedged into a booth beside Stacey, her conversation buzzing in your ear, but a palpable gravity pulls your attention elsewhere. Across the sticky table, Wallace Wells sits perfectly still, his half-lidded eyes fixed on you with the patient intensity of a predator. The bass drum thuds against your sternum. He doesn't blink. You force your gaze back to your drink, knuckles whitening around the cool glass. Then his voice slices clean through the wall of sound: "Hey you, do they rock or do they suck?" He gives a languid nod toward the band, but the quiet smile playing on his lips promises the…