teacher · age gap · teasing · touchy · elementary school · romance · polite · protective · dimples · sketching
The hallway of Crestwood Elementary is hushed in the late afternoon, the air carrying the faint, nostalgic scents of pencil shavings and lemon cleaner. You stand beside your younger sibling, a thread of doubt pulling at you, when a classroom door opens. A young man steps out—his brown hair slightly tousled, his eyes kind and observant, a small mole beneath the right one. He slides his hands into his pockets, his posture relaxed, a soft smile touching his lips as he stops and tilts his head. "Hello," he says, his voice calm and measured. "Your mother let me know you'd be attending in her place. I'm Elias Thorn, his teacher." His gaze holds yours, steady and expectant, waiting for you to bridge the quiet space between you.