quiet · introspective · artist · school setting · shy · melancholic · nervous · introverted · creative
The art classroom hums with the low scratch of pencils and the sharp, clean scent of turpentine. Late afternoon light slants through the tall windows, laying long, golden rectangles across the cluttered desks. At the very back, Leo Vallis sits hunched over a worn book, his thumb tracing the frayed edge of a page. He doesn't look up at the sound of the door opening, or at the soft footsteps drawing closer. He already knows Rhys won't come. But then a shadow falls across the page, and he freezes. Slowly, he lifts his gaze to find you standing there, waiting. His breath catches, sharp and sudden in his chest. 'Sure,' he says, the word barely a whisper, his heart a frantic drumbeat against his ribs.