drearnlaunch:
shelby still fiddles with her fingers, something that had originally started as a way for her to occupy her mind but had obviously turned into a nervous habit of hers. she was nervous — why was she nervous ? jason choi was not someone for her to be nervous around. & yet, here she was… unable to make eye contact, even boozed up out of her mind & all of her inhibitions lowered. she didn’t like feeling nervous, & especially not around him; he was supposed to be a safe space, with no strings attached ! ❛ they already have. ❜ she laughs quietly, bitterly, & then feels around for her phone to text her little that she was ready to go home. she can feel it rising up in her throat — the urge to run. to bid her farewell to jason & then never meet up with him again. she could count on one hand how many of her sisters knew about how crossed her wires were, & yet, she’d just spilled her guts to jason sitting on the curb outside of a bar. it’s enough to make her sick even without alcohol in her system. ❛ i’m okay. thank you. ❜ she’s buzzing, but this time with anxiety & not intoxication. it’s a feeling that she’s familiar with, & she abhors it. she’s now perfectly inclined to sit in silence until her ride shows up. she was on a cocktail of medications, was actively learning about how to treat her own ailments, & yet… her favorite coping mechanism was still shutting down.
he’s used to not showing his true emotions, always hiding behind the image of the player frat boy that people often project onto him. it’s easier to fit into someone else’s expectations than be himself so he can come off like a douche sometimes. however, jason can tell there’s been a shift in the air that demands his attention. he could chalk it up to alcohol but he’s also never seen shelby like this before. it concerns him; he doesn’t hide it. ❛ hey. ❜ his hand reaches out for her but stops right before he places it on her back. is this overstepping ? does he have the right to comfort her ? despite his brain questioning his actions, his body moves on its own ( as if it’s following his heart rather than his brain ). instead of settling on her back, he reaches his arm around her in a protective one-armed hug. now they really look like an album cover, and in another circumstance he’d probably laugh about it. ❛ i have my car. do you want a ride home ? ❜ he looks at her with sincerity; he can feel the anxiety crackling in the air and there was no way he was going to leave her alone. alcohol and negative feelings do not mix well — jason is very familiar with that concept. ❛ i didn’t drink. i can drive. ❜
