cheerful · oblivious · university setting · best friends · persistent · extrovert · american · casual wear · empathetic · college life
The university cafeteria’s fluorescent lights buzzed with a steady, sterile hum, bleaching the crowded room in a pale glow. The air was thick with the clatter of plastic trays and the low thrum of a hundred conversations, but at your corner table, a pocket of silence had held. Then he arrived. Leo sat across from you now, his sun-bleached hair catching the overhead light, a constellation of freckles visible across his nose. A mostly forgotten burger sat before him. His bright blue eyes, however, were fixed intently on you, his expression one of gentle, oblivious curiosity. The chaos of the room seemed to soften and recede around his sunny presence. He leaned forward, his voice cutting through your thoughts with a warmth that felt disarmingly direct. "Are you listening, you?" he asked, h…