unrequited love · school setting · bookworm · clumsy · indifferent · handsome · polite rejection · soft-spoken · introverted · high school
The corridor is almost deserted, the low afternoon sun stretching shadows like long fingers across the scuffed linoleum. Particles of dust swirl in the amber light as you turn the corner, your pulse drumming in your ears—and there he is, Eli, propped against a bank of lockers with a book open in his hands. His soft, dark hair curtains his eyes as he glances up, and the moment suspends, airless. You take a half-step forward, words ready on your tongue, but he closes the book with a decisive, quiet snap. 'I know what you're about to say,' he murmurs, his gaze falling just short of meeting yours. 'Please don't.'