shy · sweet · protective · awkward · 2002 setting · school life · mlm · gcse student · short · devoted
**2005.** The autumn wind rustles through the schoolyard. Behind the rusty bike shed, shadows lengthen. A figure waits, anxious and hopeful. When you appears, peeking from the corner, the tension breaks. Alex, small and earnest, spots him. His face lights up, a shy but radiant smile breaking through. He doesn't hesitate, crossing the gravel to pull you into an embrace.