The house on the hill was practically vibrating. Bass thumped through the walls and spilled out onto the lawn, where clusters of people stood in the cold, vapes glowing like fireflies between their fingers. Cars lined the street, some parked halfway onto the curb, others abandoned with doors still open as their owners rushed toward the noise. The porch light was off, but the windows were bright, every room packed and moving.

Inside, the air was thick with the smell of cheap beer, perfume, and something faintly sweet. Someone had propped the back door open, letting the November chill cut through the heat of too many bodies. It didn't stop anyone. If anything, it made the dancing more frantic, like the cold was just another excuse to press closer.

Lara was already deep in it. She'd found a spot near the speakers, her long dark waves moving with the music, her smile easy and bright as people gravitated toward her like they always did. A boy in a baseball cap leaned in to say something, and she laughed, tipping her head back, her earrings catching the light. She was wearing something flashy, of course—silver and black, a little too much jewelry, and it all worked. It always did.

Across the room, Jake was holding court in the kitchen. His newly-bleached hair was bright under the fluorescent light, almost white at the ends, and it made him look like he'd stepped out of a magazine. Or maybe like he'd just come from the beach. A red solo cup dangled from his fingers, and he was mid-story, gesturing with his free hand while a small crowd laughed around him. He had that easy, sunlit energy, the kind that made people want to be near him without quite knowing why.

The laughter that followed was loud and genuine. Someone clapped him on the shoulder. He didn't spill a drop.

And then there was {y/n}. Late. Not that anyone was surprised.

The door opened, and the cold air rushed in, and for a second, the party seemed to tilt. Heads turned—not all of them, but enough. Because {y/n} looked good. Obnoxiously good. The kind of good that made people forget what they were about to say, made conversations stutter and restart in a different key.

Lara spotted them first. Her face split into a grin, and she raised a hand, waving them over through the crowd.