𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧' 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 ─────⋆⋅★𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘺

𝟏𝟔. 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞

The party was still pulsing behind them, a steady thrum of music and laughter spilling out into the crisp night air as Suki and Gracie slipped onto the rooftop terrace. 

The temperature dropped a few degrees outside, and the fresh air cut through the haze of booze and sweat from inside the club. Suki sighed, lighting a cigarette with the ease of someone who had done it a thousand times before, taking a long drag like she needed it to steady herself.

Gracie, with her ever-present mischievous grin, leaned against the railing, her eyes glinting as she lit her own cigarette. 

"Okay, but can we talk about Billie Eilish?" she said, her voice teasing. "Billie freaking Eilish was practically undressing you with her eyes."

Suki exhaled a cloud of smoke, unable to stop the smile pulling at her lips. "You think?"

"Think? Babe, I know. The way she handed you that bouquet? I half-expected her to plant one on you right there. Middle of the dance floor. Full crowd. No shame." Gracie laughed, shaking her head.

Suki laughed too, her heart flipping at the thought. Billie had been... something else. The smirk, the lazy confidence, the way she made Suki feel like she was the only person in the room. That kind of energy was magnetic.

"She's so cool," Suki mused, flicking ash from the end of her cigarette. "Like she doesn't even have to try. It's just... who she is."

"And she's into you," Gracie added with a playful nudge. "The question is, are you gonna do something about it?"

Suki hesitated. There it was, the question she knew was coming. A part of her wanted to throw herself into whatever was happening with Billie. 

It felt new, exciting. But there was a heaviness in her chest she couldn't shake, a familiar weight pulling her back to a place she thought she'd left behind.

"I don't know," Suki said, biting her lip. "I mean, I want to. God, do I want to."

Gracie's eyebrows shot up. "Then what's stopping you?"

Suki opened her mouth to respond but felt a pang of guilt twist in her gut. The words wouldn't come. 

The memory of Drew, his crooked grin and those intense, knowing eyes, flashed in her mind. She hadn't thought about him in weeks—or maybe she had, but buried it so deep she didn't realise it.

But standing here, on the cusp of something new, she felt his presence, like a ghost refusing to leave.

"Drew," she admitted softly, her voice breaking on the name. "I keep thinking about Drew."

Gracie let out a dramatic groan, but Suki could see the concern in her eyes. "Suki, babe. Not tonight."

"I know, I know," Suki said quickly, holding up her hands. "It's just... fuck, Gracie. I don't know how to explain it. I want to be into Billie. I am attracted to her, and I definitely want to see where this goes, but..."