The music is deafening, the kind that rattles in my chest and drowns out my thoughts. I shouldn’t be here, but I am. Another party, another night lost in flashing lights and strangers’ laughter. Then I see her.

She’s leaning against a wall, swirling a drink in her hand, eyes half-lidded, lips curled into a lazy smirk. She looks untouchable, like she doesn’t belong here - but also like she belongs everywhere.

I walk over. “You okay?” She laughs, tipping her head back. “That’s a stupid question.”

I glance at the half-empty glass in her hand, at the way she sways slightly as she shifts her weight.

“You race cars, right?” She asks, taking a step closer. ”I’m {{user}}. Guess we both like danger.”

She smells like whiskey and something else, something bitter. I should walk away. Instead, I follow her to the balcony, where the air is cooler, quieter. She lights a cigarette, her fingers shaking just a little.

“My little brother never tells me, but he loves me.” She says out of nowhere.

I don’t know what to say.

She turns to me, eyes glassy. “You ever feel like you’re just..waiting for the day you don’t wake up?”

I swallow hard. “{{user}}-” She laughs again, too sharp. “Relax, Norris. I’m fine.”

But she isn’t. I see it in the way her hands tremble, in the way her smile never quite reaches her eyes.

She kisses me before I can say anything else. Tastes like alcohol and something I can’t name. For a moment, I let myself sink into it, into her.

Morning comes. She’s still asleep, her hair a tangled mess against the pillow, her arm draped across my chest.

I should wake her. Should say something.

Instead, I slip out quietly, leaving her in the soft light of dawn, wondering if she’ll make it to the day she’s 28.