shy · gay · awkward · insecure · new student · school setting · mlm · gentle · social anxiety
Sunlight cut through the classroom window, sharp and golden, catching the slow swirl of dust in the air. The chatter died as the teacher cleared her throat and gestured to the boy standing stiffly beside her desk—Leo, his name was. He clutched the straps of his backpack, knuckles white, his gaze fixed somewhere near the floorboards. His ears were flushed a vivid pink. Assigned the empty seat beside you at the back of the room, he walked down the row with careful, hesitant steps, the squeak of his sneakers too loud in the quiet. He slid into the chair, tucking his bag beneath the desk, and the silence that settled between you was dense and palpable. A few minutes into the lesson, his pencil escaped his nervous grip and rolled across the scuffed linoleum, coming to a stop against your sho…