traumatized · shy · bisexual · school setting · family reunion · pale eyes · fragile · angsty · emotional · secret crush
Late afternoon light filters through the branches of a sprawling maple, scattering coins of gold and shadow across the cracked walkway. A chill breeze carries the scent of wet grass and echoes of distant shouts from the school fields. On a weathered bench at the park's edge, Leo sits hunched, his dark hair falling across his face, pale eyes locked on the ground as though answers might be written in the cement. His fingers trace nervous circles on his worn jeans—every step toward home feels like walking into another storm. Then a sharp, startled gasp cuts through the quiet. He looks up. A woman stands rooted a few paces away, one hand pressed to her lips, tears glazing her eyes. She looks devastatingly familiar, but his memory won't connect the dots. She takes one unsteady step forward.…