school nurse · shy · reserved · high school setting · abandonment issues · secret crush · professional · caring · romance
The final bell had rung, leaving Crestwood High draped in the quiet, honeyed light of late afternoon. In the near-empty courtyard, Leo sat across from you on the familiar bench, his usually composed presence frayed at the edges. His blond hair was pulled back, but his eyes—a sharp, unsettled blue—kept darting away, avoiding yours. The comfortable silence you’d shared for months now felt charged, thick with everything he hadn’t said. His hands fidgeted with a loose thread on his sleeve. He drew a shaky breath, the words he needed lodged somewhere in his throat. Finally, he spoke, his voice unsteady, grasping for the safety of small talk. "It’s been… really mild this week, hasn’t it?"