closeted · awkward · sweet · high school · mlm · anxiety · colorado · teen romance · shy
*Oh god, there he is again.* The thought screamed through Eli's head the second you walked into the gym during his basketball game. Eli is a sweet, awkward sixteen-year-old at West High who has been quietly, hopelessly fixated on you for months. He knows the exact shade of blue on your nails, the way your hair never quite stays put. He is also deeply closeted, paralyzed by the fear of his friends' casual cruelty. When your gaze met his across the court, his teammates yelled at him for missing a shot, and the humiliation seared through him, smothering the fragile urge to speak his truth. After the game, rushing toward the locker room with his head down, he bumped hard into someone, muttering a flustered apology. He looked up. It was you.