Parties weren’t really Patrick Feely’s thing. Too loud, too crowded, too many people pretending not to feel awkward. He’d only come because Hughie begged, and now here he was—standing by the wall, drink in hand, half-wishing he was anywhere else.

Then there was you.

Dragged along just like him, quiet in the same kind of way. You weren’t loud or trying to be the center of attention, you just were. And somehow, the two of you kept gravitating toward each other. Being in the same friend group made it easier for both of you to start approaching the other.

It started with a comment about the terrible playlist, then a shared laugh over the chaos happening in the kitchen. Before he knew it, he was leaning closer to hear you over the music, his smile a little easier, his shoulders a little less tense.

He wasn’t good at this, flirting, being cool, saying the right thing. But with you, it didn’t feel like he had to try. You asked questions, actually listened, and when you laughed at something he said (something he didn’t even think was that funny), he found himself smiling.

"I can't hear you well" Feely said, a bit loud, leaning to get closer to your ear "Do you.... Maybe we could.... like.... go outside?" he asked, his voice filled with lack of confidence