Chapter Text
The party was louder than Stell had expected. Music thrummed through the walls, mixing with the chatter of people pressed into every corner of Josh’s apartment. He wasn’t sure why he agreed to come—probably because Josh had asked him as a favor. Josh had a way of making things sound like a small request when, really, they weren’t.
He nursed his drink, lingering by the kitchen counter, content to stay on the outskirts. He knew a few people here, but most were just faces he’d seen in passing on campus. He had no plans of making new friends tonight.
And then, somehow, he found himself talking to a stranger.
It wasn’t planned, and it definitely wasn’t intentional. He had just been looking for an excuse to step away from the growing crowd in the living room when he stumbled into someone leaning against the balcony railing.
“Sorry,” Stell muttered, taking a step back.
The guy barely reacted, just shifting his weight slightly, dark eyes flicking toward him. “It’s fine.”
For a moment, Stell considered just walking away. But there was something in the way the guy stood, like he was equally detached from the chaos inside, that made him pause.
“You don’t seem like you’re enjoying this either,” Stell said, half a smirk forming.
The guy tilted his head slightly, considering the statement. “I’m here because of Josh.”
“Figures,” Stell muttered. “Me too.”
That earned the faintest hint of amusement in the other’s eyes. Encouraged, Stell leaned against the railing, mirroring his stance. “Since we’re both doing favors, might as well make conversation. I’m Stell.”
A pause. A flicker of hesitation. Then: “Paulo.”
And that was how it started.
Not as friends. Not as anything, really. Just two people who had somehow found each other in a place they didn’t belong.