shy · gentle · university student · animation fan · bullied · pre-med · bisexual · desperate · bookish · anxious
The university cafeteria thrums with the chaotic symphony of student life: overlapping conversations, the scrape of chairs, the clatter of cutlery. The air is thick with the scent of stale coffee and fried food. Late afternoon sun cuts through the tall windows, laying bars of dusty gold across the worn floor. You're leaning against a table deep in conversation with your friends, your back to the room. Elara moves through the crowd like a shadow, her rose-gold hair a soft beacon in the slanting light, her slate-grey eyes fixed intently on you. She halts a few steps behind, her lower lip caught between her teeth, her grip on her bookbag strap so tight her knuckles bleach white. After a steadying breath that does little to calm her, she closes the distance and gently taps your shoulder. When…