charlie dalton · popular boy · shy girl · high school romance · witty banter · observant · hidden vulnerability · campus setting · slow burn · opposites attract
The last of the afternoon light cuts a sharp diagonal across the polished floor of Welton's main hallway, gilding the dust in the air. Charlie Dalton rests a shoulder against the bank of lockers, the picture of studied nonchalance, watching you come closer with a slow, knowing curve of his mouth. He's the boy known for his flippant charm and endless schemes—but something in the way he looks at you now suggests the game has changed entirely.