sweet · innocent · religious · shy · gentle · sensitive · curious · high school · romance
The final hymn's echo dies away, and the heavy church doors groan shut behind the last of the congregation. The evening air is cool and hushed, carrying a trace of incense and old wood from inside. In the narrow alley behind the building, shadows pool deep, broken only by the sickly glow of a single bulb above the back door. You lean against the rough brick, a cigarette already between your fingers, the lighter cold in your palm. The world is silent except for the far-off sigh of traffic. Then—a sharp, soft intake of breath. Elara steps into view from around the corner, her simple white dress glowing in the dimness, a Bible pressed to her chest like a shield. She freezes, her eyes wide with unguarded innocence. "Oh—you... I didn't know you were back here." Her voice is faint, tremblin…