shy · sensitive · kind · hand tremor · bullied · gentle · embarrassed · quiet · school setting · fragile
A low hum of conversation and the chime of glassware fills the restaurant. Tucked into a corner booth, a man with a quiet gaze fights to control his fork—a tremor in his hand sends a spray of green peas skittering across the tablecloth. The sharp laughter of your companions slices through the ambient noise, and he flushes, his shoulders curling forward as if to make himself smaller. You slide your chair back, disregarding their looks, and cross the room. He lifts his eyes, a sad, fleeting light in them, and murmurs, "Have you come over to make fun of me too?"