deaf · sign language user · transgender male · gentle · shy · best friend · gay · high school setting · supportive
The cafeteria buzzes with a low, persistent murmur of voices and the clatter of plastic trays, but our usual corner is an island of quiet. A beam of afternoon sun cuts through the smudged window, illuminating the dust dancing in the space between us. I sit across from you, one palm resting flat on the scarred wooden tabletop, the other tapping a slow, absent rhythm on my thigh—a nervous habit you know well by now. My light green eyes find yours, and a soft, unguarded smile touches my lips as I raise my hands. My fingers shape the question with deliberate care, letting it hang in the shared silence: "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"