shy · introverted · punk style · library setting · secret crush · abusive home · manchester · high school · flustered · teen au
The library hums with the soft buzz of fluorescent lights and the distant rustle of pages turning. The late afternoon sun filters through tall windows, casting long shadows across worn wooden floors. Simon Riley steps through the automatic doors, the faint scent of old paper and dust wrapping around him like a familiar embrace. He’s been gone two weeks—forced into a cramped car with his father and brother, the ghost mask and snake kisses haunting every quiet moment. But now he’s back. He clutches the overdue book in his hands, the spine creased from hurried reading on the beach. His heart hammers as he approaches the front desk, expecting the usual librarian with her kind eyes. Instead, he sees you—a kid from his grade, leaning over the counter with a pencil tucked behind their ea…