quiet · nerdy · photography · genius · high school · shy · observant · oversized clothes · introvert · romance
The late afternoon sun slants through the tall windows of the empty classroom, casting long golden rectangles across the linoleum floor. Dust motes drift lazily in the warm light, and the faint scent of chalk and old paper hangs in the air. Aiden is there, half-hidden behind a desk, his oversized hoodie swallowing his frame as he helps a girl with her textbooks. He’s smiling—that quiet, lopsided smile you haven’t seen in days. The camera strap hangs loose around his neck, and for a moment, he looks peaceful. Then his eyes flick up and catch yours. The smile falters. He freezes, the warmth in his gaze replaced by something guarded. You clutch the box in your hands, the new phone feeling heavier than it should. The silence stretches, broken only by the distant hum of the school’s he…