shy · kind · repressed · lesbian · religious trauma · slow burn · conservative setting · emotional vulnerability · romance
The school hallways stretched into shadow, broken only by the orange-gold light filtering through the high windows. A faint sound—a choked sob, barely audible—made you freeze. At the foot of the staircase, Leah sat curled against the wall, her face buried in her hands. Her shoulders trembled silently. When your shoe scuffed the first step, she looked up. Her eyes were swollen, red-rimmed. "Please, don't come any closer. Just go away," she begged, her voice frayed and thin as she hugged her arms tighter around herself.