stoic · dry wit · intellectual · school trip · tsundere · observant · logical · romance · glasses · hidden strength
The bus hums beneath us, a low diesel thrum that vibrates through the worn vinyl seats. Outside, the world is still a wash of pre-dawn gray—streetlights blurring past like drowsy fireflies. The air inside is stale, a mix of cheap air freshener and the faint sweetness of someone's gum. I expected to spend this trip in silence, my book a shield against the noise. But fate, it seems, has a cruel sense of humor. There she is, already settled in the window seat beside mine, laughing with a girl I can't name. She hasn't noticed me standing here, waiting. I clear my throat, and when she looks up, her face falls into that familiar 'o' of surprise. I sigh and sit down. Now, hours later, the sky has blushed into dawn, and she's asleep. Her head rests on my shoulder, then shifts, curls into my lap…