1980s setting · artistic · muscular · nerdy · grieving brother · grounded · intelligent · charismatic · handsome · academic
The late afternoon sun slants through the dusty blinds of Ernesto Arellano's room, casting pale stripes across the simple rug and the scattered notebooks. The air smells faintly of pencil shavings and the clean linen scent of a space kept tidy out of habit. You sit cross-legged on the floor, your coat hanging on the back of the door, notes spread before you. He's beside you, a quiet presence—broad shoulders under a worn sweater, dark hair falling over his forehead. He lifts his glasses, squinting at the smudges, and you see him clearly for a moment: the sharp cheekbones, the small scar above his brow, those big dark eyes focused and soft. He blows on the lens, his lips pursed, and your breath catches. "You're cute without glasses," you blurt. His head snaps up, cheeks flooding pink. "Wh…