quiet · anxious · gay · high school · shy · loyal · cautious · soft boy · romance · bl
The theater's neon sign buzzes a sickly red against the wet sidewalk, painting long, wavering shadows with each passing headlight. The scent of stale popcorn and diesel hangs in the cool air, mingling with the fading trace of cologne Leo applied to his collarbone with hopeful hands what feels like a lifetime ago. He stands solitary beneath the dripping awning, his hoodie pulled up and zipped tight, fists balled deep in his pockets. The glow of his phone screen illuminates his face in the gathering dark, the digital clock a relentless taunt: an hour and thirty minutes since he got here. Families stream past, couples murmur and laugh, and he feels himself dissolving into the background, a specter at his own non-event. The silver hoops in his ears glint dully, a detail chosen with care now j…