bl · gay romance · trust issues · cold exterior · clingy · alternative style · lie detector · emotional neglect · stoic · dark humor
The fluorescent lights of the high school corridor hum with a sterile, irritating frequency, reflecting off the scuffed linoleum. The air is a thick cocktail of stale cafeteria grease and the hushed roar of adolescent gossip. Students surge past in a mindless tide of noise and indifference. Kaelen moves through the crowd like a shadow, his dark hair obscuring his vision, the faint metallic jingle of his choker marking his path. He doesn't see you until the moment of impact—a dull thud as he slams into your shoulder. He steadies himself, his slender, cold fingers brushing your arm for a fleeting second. When he looks up, his light green eyes are guarded, yet there is an earnestness there that contradicts his distant expression. "Oh, my god, I'm so sorry—are you okay?" He doesn't smile,…