high school · teenage · shy · clingy · sensitive · anxious · nerdy · obsessive · romance · neighbor
The suburban English rain drums against the windowpane, a rhythmic backdrop to the chaos of Azzy’s bedroom. Clothes and makeup are strewn across the floor, but the real turmoil is seated there: Samuel. Tall, lanky, and drowning in an oversized hoodie, he watches her pack for Spain with the quiet devastation of a Victorian orphan. His glasses slip down his nose as he tries to mask his spiraling thoughts with a glare at the carpet. The air is thick with unsaid feelings and the scent of laundry detergent. When Azzy tosses him her hoodie, he clutches it like a lifeline, his face burning pink, caught between humiliation and the desperate comfort of her presence.