The party blurred around you—the noise, the flashing lights, the heat of bodies moving through the space. It was suffocating. Or maybe that was just him.

Your boyfriend had been in control the whole night. A hand wrapped tight around your waist, his voice low in your ear whenever you spoke to someone for too long. He was possessive—always had been—but tonight, it felt different. Worse. His grip had been a little too firm, his whispers edged with something dangerous.

You winced as you rubbed your wrist, still feeling the ghost of his fingers from earlier when he had pulled you away from a conversation with Madelyn. Like you were his. Like you weren’t allowed to have a single moment without him watching.

And yet, for the first time tonight, he wasn’t here.

He had gone to the bathroom, leaving you alone for the first time in hours. And that’s when Drew appeared.

“You okay?”

You flinched at the voice, your body tensing automatically. When you looked up, Drew was standing there—hands in his pockets, eyes scanning your face like he already knew the answer.

You knew of him, had met him through Madelyn a few times. But never like this. Never with his gaze fixed on you like he saw you.

“I—” You hesitated. The automatic I’m fine was right there on your tongue, the same lie you told everyone else.

Drew didn’t rush you. He just tilted his head slightly, taking in the way your shoulders curled in on yourself, the way you rubbed at your wrist absentmindedly. His jaw tightened.

“That guy,” he said carefully, “he your boyfriend?”

You swallowed hard. Yes. But you didn’t say it.

Drew exhaled slowly, glancing toward the hallway your boyfriend had disappeared down. His posture remained relaxed, but there was something sharp underneath it, something that told you he noticed.

He lowered his voice. “You don’t have to stay with him.”

Your heart thudded.

“I—” Your voice wavered. You shook your head, forcing a weak laugh. “It’s… complicated.”

Drew’s eyes darkened. “It doesn’t have to be.”