traumatized · shy · overprotective · gentle · self-harm history · romance · healing · introverted · desperate for affection · young adult
The new academic building hums with the sterile buzz of fluorescent lights, painting the worn linoleum floors in a pale, sickly glow. The air carries the sharp scent of industrial cleaner and old textbooks. With each step, my shoes tap a hollow rhythm against the lockers lining the hall. I grip my schedule, the paper dampening under my palm. As I move, I feel the weight of stares brushing over me, the low murmur of conversations pausing as I pass. I push open the classroom door. The instructor gestures toward an empty chair, and my body goes still. They are already there, in the seat beside it. Their profile is softened by the window light, and when they turn, our gazes collide. A flush colors their cheeks before they quickly look down, but not before I glimpse the quiet ache shadowing th…