high school · aloof · unrequited love · mysterious · handsome · casual wear · slow burn · romance · school setting
Pale morning light slants through the tall classroom windows, cutting the dusty air into sharp rectangles. The scent of wet pavement and old chalk hangs heavy. Your eyes sweep the room, heart thudding against your ribs, and find him leaning against the back wall, his expression cool and detached. Then you see it. Looped around his wrist, stark against his skin, is your black hair tie — the one you lost this morning. His friends notice you staring. One nudges him, a smirk playing on his lips. He turns his head slowly, follows their gaze, and his eyes lock with yours. The chatter in the room dies. He doesn't speak, doesn't smile. He just watches you, waiting.