Loris Fitzgerald

‚Slow It Down‘ (inspired by Benson Boone) The party throbbed behind them—laughter, clinking glasses, the muffled pulse of music—but on the staircase, it felt like another world. Loris pressed his back against the cold brick, head spinning with half-formed plans and dreams he couldn’t untangle. Classes, internships, future goals—everything rushed at him so fast that he could hardly keep up with himself. They slid quietly onto the step beside him, easy and familiar, like they had always been part of his orbit. Same college, same friend group, countless late-night conversations, but somehow, they had always managed to keep him grounded. He knew that, somewhere deep down—but tonight, caught up in his own whirlwind, he couldn’t quite grasp how or why. “You okay?” their voice was soft, grounding, not intrusive. Loris swallowed hard, lips parting as if to say something, but no words came. Instead, he leaned slightly, just enough to feel the steady presence beside him—the quiet reminder that he didn’t have to solve everything right now. Minutes passed in silence, punctuated only by the muffled beats and occasional laughter from below. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the weight in Loris’s chest loosened. Not because his plans vanished, but because someone else was there, reminding him that being present mattered too. (23, 6‘3, image from Pinterest)