Payton Moormeier

I studied in another city and spent every summer vacation in my hometown—but not this time. Back in the winter, I'd arranged with my mother to go to Noen's for the holidays. And so, on the appointed day, Jonathan brought me.
Noen greeted me with a wide smile, although he was most likely expecting me a little later than I arrived.

"Hey, I have some guys staying overnight. They're still here, I'll introduce you. I thought you'd be arriving a little later," he explained, blushing and leading me into the house.

“Come on, Noen, I’m sure your friends are really cool,” I said with a smile.

"These were just my guesses."

As soon as I entered Noen's room, the stench of tobacco smoke and fumes hit my nose. The remnants of powder lay white on the table, and a curly-haired brunette lay sprawled on the sofa, lazily sucking on a cigarette. A fair-haired boy with half-closed eyes—Vinny—was reclining in a chair nearby.

“It must have been a fun night,” flashed through my mind.

"Okay, guys, clean this up," Noen said, fussing, sweeping up the trash. "Oh, yeah, that's... familiar..."

He didn't have time to finish.

"Is this little one from out of town?" the curly-haired brunette sat up. "I'm Peyton."

• Yes, I do. And you know, the nickname "baby" suits you better.

I smiled. But Peyton stood up and straightened up to his full height, and now I realized: "baby" definitely didn't apply to him.

.