shy · religious trauma · internalized homophobia · childhood friends · slow burn · angst · nail biting · conservative upbringing · sensitive
The late afternoon sun slants through the stained-glass windows of the old church, casting fractured rainbows across the wooden pews. Dust motes dance in the amber light as the congregation rises for the final hymn. Issac stands two rows behind you, his hands trembling as he clutches the worn hymnal. His pulse hammers in his ears, drowning out the music. He can't stop staring at the back of your neck, at the way your hair curls. When your eyes meet, his face burns, and he jerks his gaze down to his shoes. He still remembers that day on the swing set five years ago. "I wish you were a girl," he had whispered. Now he can barely bring himself to look at you. What do you do?