FORCED PROXIMITY (PART ONE) MINI SERIES
Parings: Teddy Spencer X black reader
SYNOPSIS: You didn’t plan on going to the Halloween party. You’d been perfectly fine staying in, dodging texts, pretending the tension between you and Teddy Spencer didn’t exist. But Danica and Ava were tired of it—tired of you hiding, tired of you acting like your feelings weren’t written all over your face. So they dragged you out, dressed you up, and promised nothing would happen.
• Handcuffs & forced proximity
• Heavy flirtation & suggestive dialogue
• Friends-to-lovers tension
• Party setting (alcohol, crowded spaces)
Danica’s house smells like vanilla candles and last night’s pizza. You’re curled into the corner of her couch, hoodie pulled over your hands, phone face-down like it personally offended you.
“I’m not going,” you say for the fourth time.
Ava doesn’t even look up from fixing her lashes. “You say that every time you get invited somewhere.”
“And every time,” Danica adds, rummaging through her closet, “you regret not going.”
You roll your eyes. “This is different.”
They both pause. Slowly. The kind of pause that lets you know you just told on yourself.
“Teddy different?” Ava asks sweetly.
You groan, dragging the hood fully over your head. “Please don’t say his name like that.”
The truth sits heavy in your chest—unspoken, annoying, unavoidable. Teddy Spencer. Your best friend. The boy you know better than anyone. The same boy you’ve been avoiding for weeks because somewhere between late-night talks and shared silence, your feelings got loud.
Danica tosses a costume at you. “You stay in this house way too much. Tonight you’re coming out. No excuses.”
“I literally don’t feel like being perceived,” you mumble.
Ava snorts. “That’s not a reason.”
You sit up. “It is when the person you’re avoiding is gonna be there.”
That gets their attention.
Danica softens a little, sitting beside you. “You can’t dodge him forever.”
“Yes I can,” you say quickly. “Watch me.”
She laughs, then stands. “Okay, but hear me out. We go. We stay for like… thirty minutes. You leave if you hate it.”
You narrow your eyes. “Swear?”
Ava grins in a way you do not trust. “Plus, there’s a party game. Everyone’s doing it.”
You don’t like the way she says that.
Danica’s smile turns mischievous as she pulls a small bowl from the kitchen counter, already filled with folded slips of paper.
“Just a harmless Halloween thing.”
You look at the bowl. Then at them.
Something tells you tonight is about to be a lot more complicated than you planned.
You can tell before you even get to the front door.
The house is huge—three stories, lights glowing orange and purple, music thumping so loud you feel it in your chest. People spill onto the lawn, costumes everywhere. Fog machine. Fake cobwebs. Somebody screaming-laughing near the driveway.
“This was a mistake,” you mutter.
Danica links her arm through yours anyway. “Relax. You look good.”
You tug at the hem of your costume. Pirate. Sexy pirate, apparently. Short skirt, corset-style top, way too much skin, and don’t even get you started on the fabric.
“It’s itchy,” you complain. “And sparkly.”
Ava snorts. “You don’t like sparkles?”
“I hate sparkles,” you say firmly. “They itch and they shed and they follow you home. Sparkles are a commitment.”
Danica laughs, pulling you closer as you walk up the path. “You’re literally glowing.”
You glare at her. “That’s not a compliment.”
The closer you get, the louder the music gets. Bass rattling the windows. Shadows moving behind the curtains. Someone opens the front door and a wave of noise spills out—laughter, shouting, the smell of alcohol and perfume.
Instinctively, your eyes scan the crowd.
Left. Right. Porch. Windows.
No familiar curly hair. No stupidly pretty smile. No light-skinned dork in sight.
You exhale, relief loosening your chest just a little.
“See?” Ava says, noticing. “He’s not even here yet.”
“Good,” you reply too quickly. “That means we can stay exactly fifteen minutes and leave.”
Danica raises a brow. “Fifteen?”
“Ten,” you correct. “Maybe five.”
She laughs, pushing the door open wider. “You’ll survive.”
As you step inside, someone bumps into you, nearly spilling a drink down your arm. You hiss, adjusting your top again, already over it.
You don’t notice him yet.
But the universe has a funny way of setting things up.
It’s already working overtime.
You barely make it three steps into the living room before someone calls out—
Milo appears out of nowhere, dressed as something chaotic and low-effort—blood splatter on a white tee, fake knife tucked into his waistband. He grins when he sees Danica and Ava.
“Didn’t think y’all were coming,” he says, then his eyes land on you. “Oh—what’s up, y/n.”
“Hey,” Danica replies easily.
Milo tilts his head, squinting at you for half a second. “Yo… Teddy was literally just asking about you.”
The music feels like it drops out completely.
“Me?” you ask, even though your voice already knows the answer.
Milo laughs. “Uh, yeah. Your name’s y/n, right?”
Ava’s eyes widen, immediately clocking the shift in your energy. Danica’s grip on your arm tightens like she’s bracing you.
“Yeah,” Milo continues, oblivious. “He said he hadn’t seen you yet. Looked like he was tryna find you.”
You feel heat crawl up your neck.
Your brain scrambles—fight, flight, disappear.
“Tell him I’m—” You stop. Clear your throat. Try again. “Tell him I’m, uh… not here.”
Milo blinks. Once. Twice.
You nod too fast. “Yeah. Like. I came for five minutes. Then left.”
Ava bites her lip, trying not to laugh. Danica just stares at you.
Milo’s mouth twitches. “But you’re literally standing right—”
“Not,” you cut in quietly, eyes pleading. “Here.”
“Ohhh,” he says slowly. “Say less.”
He leans in just a little. “But I’m not lying if he asks again.”
Milo gives you a mock salute. “Good luck, pirate.”
And just like that, he disappears back into the crowd.
You stand there, pulse racing, sparkly fabric itching worse than before.
Danica exhales. “You’re so dramatic.”
“I cannot do this,” you say under your breath.
Teddy Spencer is in this house.
And he’s looking for YOU.
