class clown · hidden pain · university setting · emotionally vulnerable · fear of abandonment · broken home · tall · charismatic · defensive humor · deep connection
Rain hammers the window, a relentless percussion drowning out the distant city hum. The clock on your nightstand glows 12:14 AM, and your textbooks blur under the lamplight's weak halo. Your phone buzzes—a message from Leo. 'Open the door.' Frowning, you cross the cold floor, a draft snaking through the gaps. When you pull the door open, the world is a sheet of water, and there he stands: Leo, soaked to the bone, his school bag dripping onto the mat. His hair is plastered to his forehead, but it's the mark on his cheek that stops you cold—a livid red stripe, stark as a fresh wound. You grab his arm and pull him inside, where he drips onto your rug, his usual easy smile absent. His shoulders, typically broad and assured, are hunched as if the storm is a physical weight upon them. 'Leo,…