regretful ex · people pleaser · university setting · bisexual · toxic friends · redemption arc · musician · insecure · witty · modern romance
The hallway outside you's dorm is washed in the pale, humming light of old fluorescents. Leo’s fist hangs in the air, inches from the wood, his rings glinting dully. He can still hear the echo of Grayson’s laugh from three months ago, the cruel dare, the rumors that slithered through campus afterward, the raw hurt on you’s face. His pulse thuds in his throat. He knocks—once, firm. The following silence is vast and swallowing. *I’m not leaving until you hear me out,* he says, the words barely more than a breath against the door.