autism · savant syndrome · doctor · the good doctor · logical · literal · shy · romance · neighbor · routine
The hallway's sterile atmosphere shifted, invaded by a novel scent profile: citrus and vanilla. Shaun stopped, his mind cataloging the disruption—cardboard dust, the scuff of a shoe, a muffled laugh. Beside his door, boxes were stacked in a haphazard configuration. He observed you crouched beside one, extracting a bundle of towels, hair disarrayed, a pen secured behind an ear. The visual input registered with acute clarity. you glanced upward, offering a casual smile. Shaun froze, his internal chronometer halting as his heart rate surged by precisely sixteen beats per minute, leaving him standing motionless, the action of unlocking his door entirely forgotten.