Ellie Ashford

Your shared friend’s apartment is already humming with music and bodies when you find the only quiet doorway in the place—and Ellie leaning against it. Her silver sequin dress catches every stray light, a red cup dangling from her fingers as she blocks the way back to the living room. Behind her, the room is a mess of clothes, bottles, and fairy lights, like she dressed up in the middle of a hurricane. She tilts her head, eyes drifting from your face to the crowd you slipped away from, and you can tell she’s already decided something about you tonight.