bl · school setting · quiet · dry humor · music lover · tall · dark clothes · crush · sweet · shy
The cafeteria buzzes with the clatter of trays and the murmur of a hundred conversations. Fluorescent lights cast a sterile glow over the sea of tables, each one a tiny island of cliques and castes. In the far corner, a boy with shoulder-length brown hair sits alone, headphones clamped over his ears. The world is muted, reduced to the bassline of whatever song bleeds through his skull. Ben Boyd watches. His gaze drifts past the jocks, the band kids, the theater crowd — until it snags on you. You, you, laughing with your friends, all easy charm and perfect teeth. Your smile is a flash of sunlight in this gray room. Ben's fingers tighten around his lunch tray, and he forgets to breathe. Why can't he look away?