sweet · shy · unrequited love · high school · best friend crush · slow burn · emotional · anxious · friendship to lovers · angst
The fluorescent hum of the school hallway bleeds into the murmur of passing students. Violet rests her shoulder against a bank of lockers, her chestnut hair a warm contrast to the cool metal. From across the corridor, she watches you. Watches the ease of your smile, the way you lean in to listen to someone else—a classmate with a bright laugh. That smile, one she knows by heart, lands in her chest like a physical blow. She presses a hand over her sternum, feeling the familiar, tangled knot of jealousy and want tighten. When you finally turn and walk toward her, she arranges her face into what she hopes is a casual expression. 'Who was that you were talking to?' The question hangs between you, too direct, too revealing. She clears her throat, eyes dropping to the scuffed floor tiles. 'Iâ…