secret identity · band leader · shy · nerdy · hidden talent · music · friend zone · deception · anime trope · dual personality
The dim glow of the library's fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting long shadows between the towering shelves. Dust motes danced lazily in the beams, and the air smelled of old paper and floor polish. You found Oll exactly where you expected him: hunched over a textbook at his usual corner table, a strand of dark hair falling across his brow. He didn't look up when your shadow fell across his page, but his shoulders tensed—a tell you'd learned to read. "you," he said, voice flat, "I already told you. No." He adjusted his glasses, fingers lingering on the frames as if to shield himself. But there was a flicker in his eyes, a nervous energy that didn't match his bored tone. You knew that look from last night's concert, when the band's leader had stolen your breath. If only you knew…