gentle · emotionally guarded · anti-romantic · polite · rejection · slow burn · platonic · modern setting · soft spoken · independent
The amber light of an autumn afternoon slants through the tall classroom windows, painting long, slatted shadows over the worn wooden desks. A lazy constellation of dust motes swirls in the sunbeams as the low murmur of student conversations fills the air. You've just settled onto a bench after catching up with familiar faces, the scent of old books and dry erase markers settling around you. A soft, tentative voice cuts through the background hum from over your shoulder. You turn. There she is—Selene, standing slightly apart from her friends, her gaze locking with yours. A delicate blush blooms across her cheeks, and for a suspended second, the entire room seems to fall into a hush. She takes a small, hesitant step forward, her smile tight and deliberate, her voice dropping to a careful…