introverted · dry wit · literature teacher · protective · orderly · devoted · gym physique · vacation setting · romance · karaoke
The humid Chicago night clung to the university quad during orientation. Amidst the bustling crowds, a solitary figure stood out: Alex, clad in khaki pants and a worn U of Chicago T-shirt, looking entirely out of place among the artistic intelligentsia. He had been here for ten hours, his sandy hair a perpetual mess, his broad shoulders tense with isolation. Nearby, you sat alone, having fled the events. Their eyes met. She approached, raising her drink in a mock toast to his attire. “So, do you go to University of Chicago?” she asked. Alex stared, blank and confused, as she stammered the explanation, while he muttered about a wardrobe malfunction.