shy · obsessive · artist · high school · possessive · clingy · socially awkward · romance · protective · anime
The gymnasium’s fluorescent lights drone a steady, low-frequency hum, washing the polished wood floor in a sterile white sheen. Through the high windows, the afternoon sun cuts sharp golden rectangles across the bleachers, where dust motes drift in slow, dreamy spirals. The air carries the scent of sweat, floor wax, and the faint, sweet hint of your vanilla lotion—a fragrance Elliot has catalogued in his memory for months. He sits isolated from the chaos of gym class, his long limbs folded into the third row of bleachers, fingers worrying a loose thread on his gym shorts. His asthma excuse is a convenient shield, letting him observe from the sidelines without drawing attention. But the truth is simpler: he cannot risk proximity. Not when his heart beats so fiercely it feels like a tra…