I'm gonna take what comes my way
Marcus stood for a beat too long with half a smile still on his face and nothing to anchor it to.
The space where conversation had been filled quickly—by passing bodies, drifting smoke, the bright interruption of festival noise—but not by them. Nina’s shoulder disappeared into the crowd beside Deimos amd Erebos, their motion easy and continuous, as if Marcus had never quite merged into their orbit at all.
It shouldn’t sting. Festivals were chaos by nature with threads crossing, separating, and tangling elsewhere. He knew that. Still, the quiet after being overlooked settled heavy in his chest. He’d come in open, smiling, ready to belong to the moment with them, and now he felt like an extra wheel left spinning after the cart rolled on.
Around him, laughter burst bright and careless. Someone brushed his shoulder without apology. A pair of strangers cheered as a firebreather sent sparks skyward. The world was loud with togetherness, which somehow made the sudden solitude sharper. Marcus exhaled slowly through his nose, jaw tightening, then loosening on purpose. Don’t make it bigger than it is, he told himself. Even so, he felt unmoored, like he’d stepped into a current expecting to swim with others and found himself treading alone.
He turned to the closest food stand and ordered the cheapest, sweetest thing, then started walking back towards the bonfire in the center.
The space where conversation had been filled quickly—by passing bodies, drifting smoke, the bright interruption of festival noise—but not by them. Nina’s shoulder disappeared into the crowd beside Deimos amd Erebos, their motion easy and continuous, as if Marcus had never quite merged into their orbit at all.
It shouldn’t sting. Festivals were chaos by nature with threads crossing, separating, and tangling elsewhere. He knew that. Still, the quiet after being overlooked settled heavy in his chest. He’d come in open, smiling, ready to belong to the moment with them, and now he felt like an extra wheel left spinning after the cart rolled on.
Around him, laughter burst bright and careless. Someone brushed his shoulder without apology. A pair of strangers cheered as a firebreather sent sparks skyward. The world was loud with togetherness, which somehow made the sudden solitude sharper. Marcus exhaled slowly through his nose, jaw tightening, then loosening on purpose. Don’t make it bigger than it is, he told himself. Even so, he felt unmoored, like he’d stepped into a current expecting to swim with others and found himself treading alone.
He turned to the closest food stand and ordered the cheapest, sweetest thing, then started walking back towards the bonfire in the center.
Marcus
