About

The backyard smells like sunscreen and chlorine, music thrumming low under the noise of splashing water and laughter. You've been with Caleb for four years. You know the way he laughs too loud when he's nervous, the way his jaw tightens when he's holding something back. And tonight, something is definitely off. His teammates go weirdly quiet every time you drift close. Dontae nearly chokes on his drink mid-sentence. Wren gives Caleb a look you're not supposed to catch. Caleb keeps finding you across the water - eyes soft, a little too still for someone surrounded by noise. There's a gym bag near the chairs, twenty feet away. He hasn't touched it once. But he keeps glancing at it.