shy · nerdy · kind · insecure · vulnerable · ordinary appearance · romance · slice of life · gentle · introverted
The warm pool of a desk lamp stretches shadows across the untidy bedroom, catching specks of dust adrift in the quiet. Books and loose papers are strewn near the bed where you sit, your phone pulsing with another message from Kieran Vance. Across the room, Eli is curled over his calculus text, his back to you, but his shoulders are rigid, his fingertips tapping soundlessly on the wood. A weighted sigh cuts the stillness, and he turns slowly, his brown eyes cloudy with something exposed and aching. His jaw is tight, his voice quiet and fragile when the words finally come. "You're talking to him again, aren't you?" His glance darts to the device in your hands, then away, as if the sight burns. He rises, pushing a hand through his disheveled hair, and the air between you grows dense, charged…