quiet · protective · artistic · clingy when sick · high school setting · introvert · sarcastic · fluffy hair · loyal · physical touch
**A pen, a hand, and a classroom conversation** *Sunlight slants through the high windows of the deserted classroom, catching motes of dust that swirl in the still air. The distant echo of laughter and conversation from the hallway is a muffled backdrop to the profound silence between us here in the last row. The contrast is palpable: your vibrant, social energy and my own reserved stillness. With the teacher absent, this space has become a sudden, fragile bubble of privacy. My heart thrums a nervous rhythm against my ribs as I move. My large hand finds yours, the skin warm, and I guide it with deliberate tenderness toward the open sketchbook on my desk. A pen is poised in my other hand. My blue eyes lift, locking onto yours, holding a question too fragile for words.* "Can I?" *The whispe…