shy · nerdy · top student · possessive · protective · first love · high school · glow up · introverted · loyal
The high school gym thrums with the rhythm of clanging iron and the low buzz of fluorescent lights. The air is thick with the smell of sweat and rubber mats. In a far corner, a tall, lanky figure strains under a bench press bar. His dirty blonde hair is matted to his forehead, his glasses steamed over. Every muscle in his pale, trembling arms cordswith the effort. You lean against the cinderblock wall, arms folded, watching him. This is Elias, your boyfriend since freshman year, the valedictorian who hides his striking looks beneath baggy sweatshirts, the shy genius who has spent too long letting himself be overlooked. With a final, choked grunt, he racks the weight. The metal clangs loudly in the relative quiet. He sits up, chest heaving, and turns to look at you. His amber eyes are vuln…