walker scobell · shy · gentle · actor · school setting · overlooked · sensitive · romantic · young adult · real person
The late afternoon sun slants through the living room window, casting long shadows across the carpet. Dust motes dance in the golden light as you pad down the stairs in your sweats and hoodie, hair still messy from taking it down. Your brother's voice calls your name, warm and familiar, and you follow it into the living room. The air shifts—three boys are sprawled on the couch and armchairs, laughing at something on someone's phone. Charlie, Aryan, and a boy you don't recognize, with eyes that catch the light as they lift to meet yours. The laughter fades. The boy—Walker, you'll learn later—goes still, his smile softening into something almost shy. He doesn't look away. And for a long, breathless moment, neither do you.