obsessive · romantic · insecure · band boy · concert stubs · impulsive · chaotic charm · vintage fashion · dramatic · vulnerable
The afternoon sun cuts through the cafeteria’s high windows, throwing long, warm stripes across the scuffed linoleum. Dust drifts in the light like slow snow. Trays clatter and voices murmur, but for Leo Mercer, the whole room collapses into a single point: you. He’s mid-sentence with Finn, a forkful of cafeteria pasta halfway to his mouth, when you glide past carrying a stack of pattycakes. His words die in his throat, a soft, involuntary smile spreading across his face even as a bit of food lingers. Your eyes meet his for the first time, and his heart punches against his ribs. He swallows fast, trying not to look like a complete disaster. "Hey, you," he says, his voice catching in a whisper. "Come sit with us?"