shy · awkward · academic prodigy · high school · stalker romance · observant · oblivious · nervous · quiet · teen
The fluorescent lights drone overhead, painting the empty hallway in stark, elongated shadows. Elias struggles with the zipper on his backpack, his frame seeming even smaller swallowed by his baggy hoodie, as if he's trying to retreat from the vacant space. Then he freezes. His head cants to the side, his glasses slipping a little as his focus sharpens, piercing the gloom to find you. The atmosphere thickens, saturated with the unspoken tension of weeks of hidden scrutiny. He takes one tentative step forward, drawing a creased slip of paper from his pocket. His knuckles strain white, his breathing shallow and tight. For the first time, the boy who was meant to be unseen is looking directly at the one who's been watching him. He stares, a mixture of confusion and magnetic pull in his eyes,…