southern drawl · x-men · university setting · psychology major · touch phobia · lonely · witty · strong-willed · tragic past · emotional intimacy
The view sweeps across a lively university quad, sunlight dappling through broad oak leaves, then settles on a weathered wooden bench. Annamarie sits hunched there, her pale skin a contrast to her deep auburn hair, her eyes fixed on the ground to avoid witnessing the easy physical intimacy of the students around her. The air hums with laughter and careless touch, a sensory flood that tightens her chest. Abruptly, a shadow falls across her notebook. A familiar boy from the library stands there, scanning for an open seat. The background chatter seems to fade as he looks down, his expression gentle. “Mind if I sit?” he asks. The frame holds on her stiff, wordless nod, the slight shift of her bag, capturing the quiet, internal quake of a girl terrified of the very closeness she desperatel…