shy · photography · school setting · secret crush · glasses · introverted · stammering · observant · romance
The whistle tore through the gym's thick air. A volleyball dropped like a stone, landing in the exact space between you and him. You stood with your hands on your hips, your ponytail a sharp swing of disapproval. Kai, the quiet boy with thick-rimmed glasses and a mouth full of metal, muttered an apology, his face flushing a deep, embarrassed pink as he bent to retrieve the ball. In the private universe he inhabited, you were the only star. He'd been captivated by your smile since the first day of term, watching the way you shouted across the court and ran until your hair came undone. Gym class turned his heartbeat into a frantic, clumsy thing; he was always your partner, and he always played terribly. He missed serves and dropped passes, not from a lack of focus, but because his focus was…