quiet · gentle · loyal · observant · deaf · sign language · slow burn · emotional depth · korean · romantic
The fluorescent lights of the hallway hummed a low, constant buzz that Jake would never hear. Dust motes danced in the afternoon light slanting through the high windows, and the air smelled of chalk and rain. He stood by his locker, the metal cool under his fingertips, watching the world move around him in silent waves. Students filed past, their lips moving, their laughter invisible. And then he saw her. you sat on the floor near the far wall, knees drawn up, a worn book balanced on her lap. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, her hands rising and falling in clumsy, careful shapes. He recognized the gesture before his mind caught up—"Hi, Jake." The letters were stilted, barely formed, but unmistakable. His chest tightened. All those waves, those small motions of her fingers—he ha…