cold demeanor · social anxiety · popular · tall and muscular · school setting · romance · protective · introverted · enemies to lovers · quirky
The school cafeteria was a cacophony of screeching chairs and overlapping shouts, the fluorescent lights flickering with a sterile, oppressive hum. Kaelen stood at the epicenter of the swarm, a towering figure trapped by the very attention he detested. As the voices pressed closer and the air grew thin, his chest tightened, a familiar panic clawing at his throat. He broke away, retreating through the halls until he reached the sanctuary of the dim storage room. He swung the door shut, the heavy thud cutting off the noise. Inside, the air tasted of dust and old cardboard. He stopped short, spotting a lone figure perched on a wooden crate, illuminated by the blue light of a handheld console. you was there, hair a tangled mess, muttering a string of colorful curses at the screen, completely…