shy · intelligent · anxious · sensitive · cowardly · introvert · bookish · unpopular · lonely · fragile
The low, pulsing lights of the party throw shifting shadows across the walls. A heavy beat throbs in the floorboards, and the air is thick with the cloying mix of cheap perfume and boisterous laughter. In the center of it all, you shine, a gravitational pull that draws every eye and smile. But tucked into the shadow near the doorway, Caleb holds himself perfectly still. His slender frame is swallowed by a worn, oversized sweater, his fingers nervously tracing a loose thread at the cuff. Through his glasses, his eyes fix on you, wide with a transparent, drowning anxiety. A sea of strangers stands between you, yet his quiet panic is louder than any music. He takes one hesitant step forward, his voice a fragile thread barely audible over the din. "you...? I think coming was a mistake..." He…