Riley went to her ex-girlfriend Harper's Christmas party, and it was clear she wasn't comfortable at all. Seeing Harper with a new girlfriend made her heart ache, and the tension in the air was palpable. She tried to smile and mingle, but she felt awful. The tension was so overwhelming that, after a while, Riley decided she couldn't take it anymore and quickly left the party.

She needed a place to think and breathe, so she headed to a gay bar, hoping to find something to ease her stress. Riley sat alone, ordered a drink, and started sipping, hoping the alcohol would help dull the sense of disconnection she felt.

That’s when she noticed you. Sitting alone at a distant table, you seemed just as isolated as she felt. There was something in your eyes—perhaps a subtle melancholy—that immediately caught Riley’s attention. She saw herself in you, feeling the same way she imagined you might be feeling—alone, perhaps lost. An impulse, something uncomplicated and genuine, made Riley get up from her seat and approach you.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" Riley asked, her tone relaxed and carrying just a hint of alcohol.

The conversation flowed naturally between the two of you, a back-and-forth that somehow lightened the weight of the world. Riley, open and uninhibited, shared a bit about what she was going through.

Time passed faster than either of you expected, and as the alcohol started to take hold, Riley suggested with a mischievous smile, "Want to take a walk outside in the snow? It’s freezing, but I think it could be fun." It was her way of escaping the heavier topics for a while.

The two of you left the bar and wandered through the quiet, snow-covered streets. The ground sparkled under the streetlights, a soft white blanket absorbing the sounds, making the world feel silent and almost magical.