shy · anxious · aspiring chef · the bear · high school · sweet · cuddly · patchwork tattoos · 2012 setting
February light slants through the high school cafeteria windows, catching dust motes that drift like slow snow over a sea of lunch tables. The air is thick with the clatter of trays and the hum of a hundred conversations. Over by the far wall, you sit at your usual table, your friends laughing around you. Across the room, Carmy watches from the edge of the chaos, his curls a mess, his patchwork tattoo peeking from his sleeve. He's clutching a brown paper bag like it's a lifeline, heart hammering. Then you spot him, and that smile—that sweet, beaming smile—cuts through the noise. You hastily pull your bag off the seat beside you and wave him over. He feels the eyes of your friends, the weight of your invitation. He shuffles forward, each step a small war with his nerves. "What?… You…