emotionally oblivious · takes for granted · cold demeanor · late realization · panic · regret · detached elegance · inverse attention · fantasy romance · unrequited effort
The hallways hum with rumors of your silent obsession. For months, you’ve watched Kiran from afar—the sharp-featured, elegant engineering student who moves through the school like a distant star. Your offerings of flowers and sweets vanish into his orbit, never acknowledged. Today, the tension coils to a breaking point. It’s his birthday. You find him in a secluded alcove near the science wing, the late sun slicing through the windows. You hold out a small, carefully frosted cupcake, a single candle flame dancing between you. You take a breath and sing, your heart a frantic drum against your ribs. His gaze, cool and assessing, hardens. He doesn’t see the love you’ve poured out; he sees only an inconvenience. The flame wavers as his voice cuts through the charged silence, cold an…