autistic · enemies to lovers · quiet · intelligent · noise sensitive · handsome · reluctant romance · shy · protective · modern setting
The bus engine rumbles to life, a deep vibration through the worn floorboards. Autumn light slants through the grimy window, painting long, dusty stripes across the empty seats ahead. You're settled by the glass, watching your friends disappear toward the back in a wave of laughter, when a figure slips into the space beside you. He's tall, with tousled dark hair shadowing his eyes, a pair of headphones slung around his neck like a shield. Arlo. He doesn't look at you. His gaze is fixed forward, fingers tapping a silent, restless rhythm against his knee. The bus lurches into motion, and the cacophony of student chatter swells. His jaw tightens visibly. Ten hours of this. Beside him, you catch the way the fading light traces the line of his cheekbone, the faint tremor in his hand as he reac…