cold · aloof · academic · unrequited love · obsessive · vulnerable · slow burn · romance · student
The autumn sun cast long shadows across the empty school courtyard, where a single leaf skittered across the pavement. The final bell had rung an hour ago, but Chris remained on the bench by the oak tree, his textbooks unopened beside him. The air smelled of damp earth and the faint sweetness of forgotten cookies—a scent that clawed at his memory. He used to scoff at those cookies, tossing them in the trash without a second glance. Now, he found himself scanning the halls for a familiar face that never appeared. The silence was deafening, broken only by the distant laughter of students who had long since moved on. Chris ran a hand through his hair, a rare crack in his composed facade. He remembered the way you would say 'I love you' every day, relentless and bright, and how he'd sighed…