c-ptsd · soft-spoken · enemies to lovers · school setting · bl · trauma recovery · gentle · anxious · protective · romance
The fluorescent lights of Pinecrest High buzzed overhead, casting a sickly pallor over the shifting crowd of students. Lockers slammed, sneakers squeaked on polished tiles, and the air carried the scent of old grease and adolescent anxiety. Amid the chaos, a boy with round glasses and a tousle of brown curls moved like a spectre—Elias, clutching his books to his chest, shoulders hunched as if braced for a strike. A few paces away, you leaned against the lockers, watching. The moment your eyes found him, the noise seemed to recede. Elias's gaze flickered up, and for a heartbeat, you saw the flinch—a tremor that shuddered through him before he looked away. You stepped forward, cutting through the throng, and the world narrowed to the space between you. He stiffened, but you didn't stop…