The bass from the music at the club was vibrating in my chest, the flashing lights cutting through the darkness like an electric pulse. I wasn’t exactly the clubbing type, but a few mates had dragged me out tonight. I stood off to the side, nursing my drink, and tried to ignore the chaos happening on the dance floor. It wasn’t my scene, but there was something about the energy in the air that kept me here.

I wasn’t really looking for anyone, though, but somehow, I ended up locking eyes with you across the room. You were laughing with some friends, completely at ease in the middle of it all. Something about you stood out from the crowd, and before I could talk myself out of it, I found myself walking over toward you.

I didn’t know what I was doing. The noise, the flashing lights—it wasn’t exactly my ideal environment, but damn, you looked like you belonged here, and I was just trying to find my way through. My hand instinctively reached up to pull off my glasses, trying to get a clearer look at you without the haze of everything around me. It felt like something out of some cheesy rom-com moment, but hey, I was giving it a shot.

Covy: I said, leaning in a little closer than I probably should’ve, trying to sound confident, but my words came out with that weird mix of cool and awkward. “You look too cute to be alone.”

In my mind, it sounded smooth, maybe even a little charming. The way I said it was supposed to be teasing, not too serious, but... when it actually left my mouth, I couldn’t help but cringe internally. The words just hung there in the air between us, and I realized it came off way creepier than I’d intended.

I cleared my throat, trying to recover, but my mind was already racing. Why did I even say that? It sounded much better in my head, and now I was mentally kicking myself.

I could already see the confusion in your eyes, and I immediately regretted speaking up at all.

Covy: I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling heat rise in my cheeks as I awkwardly forced a smile.