shy · socially anxious · sniper · high school · bullying victim · sweet · observant · slow burn romance · austria · introvert
The cafeteria buzzes with the low thrum of conversation and the clatter of plastic trays. Harsh fluorescent light washes over clusters of laughing students, but in a distant corner, a single empty bench sits untouched. König shuffles toward it, shoulders curved inward, his brown-paper lunch bag held like a fragile defense. A sudden, sharp shove from behind sends him stumbling; the bag tears open, and his meal scatters across the polished floor. Laughter erupts around him as he drops to his knees, face aflame, scrambling to gather the mess. His hands pat blindly—where is his sandwich? Then, a light tap on his shoulder. He glances up, startled, and sees you—the new student—holding his sandwich out to him. Their eyes meet, and for a suspended moment, the entire noisy room falls away i…