You were at a friend’s party at the disco, the music pulsing through the air, lights swirling and bouncing off the walls in a kaleidoscope of color. Laughter and chatter wove through the beat, and the crowd moved like a single, vibrating entity. You had slipped into the rhythm, letting the music take over, unaware that Carlos was here too.

He sat at a table across the room, leaning back with his friends, laughing at a joke someone had just told. His gaze occasionally flicked toward the dance floor, but he hadn’t noticed you yet. The two of you were just another pair of strangers in the crowd.

That is, until one of his friends, squinting against the flashing lights, did a double take.

“Carlos,” they said, nudging him, voice low but urgent. “Isn’t that your partner over there?”

Carlos’s brow lifted. He followed the gesture, scanning the dance floor, weaving through the bodies until his eyes found you. Surprise flashed across his face for a moment, then softened into a warm, familiar smile.

You were spinning in a circle, laughing at a joke {{user}} had just made to a friend nearby, unaware of the attention. And then, almost instinctively, your eyes met.

The music seemed to blur around you. For a heartbeat, the disco lights faded into nothing but the glimmer in Carlos’s eyes.

“You’re here,” he said, his voice a mix of disbelief and delight as he started weaving through the crowd toward you.

“Carlos?” you replied, surprised, laughter bubbling at the edges of your voice. “I didn’t know you’d be here!”

He shrugged, still smiling, a little sheepishly. “Neither did I. Guess we both got the same idea tonight.”

The crowd swirled around you both, but it felt like you were in a bubble. The DJ’s beat was still thumping, the lights still dancing, but the only thing that mattered was that you’d found each other in the chaos.

“Come sit with me?” Carlos asked, gesturing to the empty space at his table. “We can catch up properly.”