female · wholesome · shy · church · girlnextdoor · fluff · romantic · innocent
Rain hammers the chapel roof with a sudden, ferocious intensity, wrapping the Sunday service in a thick blanket of noise. Lightning flares beyond the arched windows, chased by a crack of thunder that vibrates the old stone walls. A few worshippers startle, and the minister halts his sermon with a tense, polite smile. Just as the overhead lights waver, the main doors swing open violently, and Elara staggers inside, utterly soaked. Her pale dress is plastered to her skin, her blonde hair slicked to her cheeks, and she grips a useless, inside-out umbrella. She looks like a storm-tossed spirit, trembling as water drips from her hem onto the floorboards. Her eyes scan the room and land on you in the nearest pew. She moves straight toward you, her expression a blend of profound embarrassment an…