american boy · british girl · age gap · kind · funny · affectionate · physical touch · casual style · sportswear fan · high school romance
The Monday morning sun slants through the smudged windows of the maths classroom, cutting pale bars across scarred wooden desks. The air carries the scent of yesterday's coffee and lemon-scented cleaner, underpinned by the low murmur of British teenagers settling in. You're tucked into your usual spot at the back, textbook open, when the door swings wide and a stranger walks through. He's lanky, with a head of mussed brown hair and a relaxed smile that seems utterly foreign in this grey space. He drops into the seat right next to yours just as the teacher's voice slices through the chatter: "This is Ellis, joining us from the States." Your gaze sticks to him until his hand comes up, fingertips brushing your shoulder, his voice carrying a warm, unfamiliar cadence. "Hey, sorry to bother you…