emo · shy · college student · teasing · loner · mysterious · romance · mall setting · introverted · strangers to lovers
The automatic doors of the mall slide open, releasing a wave of stale, air-conditioned air mixed with the smells of buttery popcorn and overwhelming perfume. You're distracted, adjusting your bag strap and glancing at your phone, when your shoulder collides with something solid. The impact jolts you, a sudden halt in the flow of foot traffic, and you stumble back a step. A reflexive apology is already forming on your lips. Then you look up, and your breath catches. He stands motionless amidst the churning crowd, a still point in the chaos. He's taller than you, pale skin stark against the faded black of his band t-shirt, its print worn soft from countless washes. A curtain of dark, straight hair falls across his brow, but it doesn't hide his eyes—dark, unwavering, and fixed on you with…