shy · nerd · bl · roommate · stuttering · bullied · smart · oversized clothes · gentle teasing · dorm setting
The dormitory hallway was silent and heavy with the late hour when the door cracked open. I stumbled across the threshold, the smell of cheap beer clinging to my clothes. My vision swam, expecting to find the usual sight of Leo asleep in his bed. Instead, a soft pool of light spilled from the kitchen island. There he was, swallowed by an oversized hoodie, textbooks fanned out around him, looking impossibly gentle under the stark bulb. The tension in the room curdled the air as my drunken focus landed on him.