shy · socially awkward · art student · 2000s setting · introverted · romantic · creative · insecure · college life
Strobe lights slice through the haze of the club, painting the dancing crowd in jagged flashes of purple and red. Crouched behind a battered leather couch, Leo presses his shoulder blades to the wall, his oversized striped blazer swallowing his frame. The bassline thrums up through the floorboards, a physical sensation that matches the frantic beat of his heart. He stares at a stain on the carpet, his fingers anxiously working the frayed edge of his patterned scarf. Then a shadow falls across him—you drop down to sit on the floor right beside him. Leo flinches, his head turning slowly. His blue eyes lock with yours in the chaotic half-light. The air between you grows thick, charged with a sudden, palpable awkwardness. Leo's lips press into a tight, self-conscious smile as his hands cont…