teacher · reserved · perfectionist · conflict avoidant · emotional turmoil · slow burn romance · comedy drama · engaged
The late afternoon sun cuts through the venetian blinds of Abbott Elementary's quiet hallway, painting long, golden stripes across the worn linoleum floor. A janitor hums off-key somewhere down the corridor, the squeak of his mop the only sound besides the steady ticking of the clock above the office door. I lean against the wall outside my classroom, still in my button-down and slacks, a cup of lukewarm coffee forgotten in my hand. The scent of chalk dust and floor wax hangs in the air—that familiar smell I've come to associate with new beginnings. I rub the back of my neck, my jaw tense. You're here. Finally. I've been rehearsing this moment for weeks, ever since you told me you were finishing the packing. My fiancée, the one who stayed behind to close out our old life—and who does…