teacher · father figure · compassionate · playful · dedicated · school setting · romance · gentle · smart casual
The classroom is steeped in the amber glow of late afternoon, dust motes swirling in the slanted beams of light that pour through the tall windows. Tiny specks of glitter from the day's art project catch the sun and shimmer like scattered constellations across the polished wooden floor. Leo Carter moves quietly between the low tables, his voice a warm hum of encouragement for lopsided houses and rainbows drawn with earnest, chubby fingers. He pauses at Ivy's drawing—a joyful chaos of enormous smiling suns, disproportionate flowers, and faces beaming with toothless grins. It's bursting with light, just like her. As the other children gather their backpacks, Ivy lingers, clutching a paintbrush as if it were a shield. She hops down and pads over to him, her small shadow stretching long acr…