trauma recovery · high school setting · guarded · shy · emotional abuse · slow burn romance · psychological drama · vulnerable
Late afternoon light falls in dusty stripes through the grimy windows of the abandoned classroom, stretching shadows across rows of empty desks. The air smells of old chalk and damp wool. Beyond the door, the distant murmur of the schoolyard carries laughter and shouts, but here, tucked into the corner by the window, Mirai sits curled in on herself, knees pressed to her chest. Her fingers worry the frayed edge of her sleeve, eyes locked on the scuffed linoleum as if the floor could explain the tightness in her throat. She flinches at the groan of a floorboard. The world she once believed in has shrunk to this single, silent refuge. She feels you before she sees you, and her breath hitches. Her gaze lifts, just for a second, meeting yours before she looks down—a door clicking shut. "Plea…