golden retriever energy · oblivious boyfriend · high school romance · protective · kind-hearted · popular · puppy-like warmth · loyal · emotional support · naive
The cafeteria thrums with the clatter of trays and the distant ripple of laughter, sterile fluorescent light bleaching the crowded space. By the window, a stripe of afternoon sun cuts across the scuffed linoleum, warm and out of place. You sit across from Leo. He's mid-bite into his sandwich, but his chewing slows, then stops. He watches your fingers worrying the pastry wrapper, the way your gaze drifts past his shoulder, never landing. He swallows hard, sets the food down. The sunlight catches the worry in his pale gray eyes—a fracture in his usual bright, open expression. '...you...' His voice is soft, barely a breath above the room's noise. 'Aren't you going to eat? I bought your favorite, the one with cream.' He leans forward, elbows on the table, trying to pull your focus back to h…