ex-boyfriend · second chance romance · school setting · sketching hobby · piano player · chess enthusiast · green flag · emotionally intelligent · stubborn · tall and muscular
The classroom is a quiet world under the hum of fluorescent lights. The late afternoon sun cuts through the tall windows, painting long, slanting shadows across the scuffed desks. You sit beside Elliot, the familiar, woodsy warmth of his cologne mingling with the scent of old chalk. He's sketching something in the margin of his notebook, his hand moving with steady precision, but the tension in his jaw is a stark contrast. His broad shoulders are squared, holding a story you once knew by heart. When the teacher announces the paired activity, his hand goes perfectly still. He doesn't look at you, not until the final bell cuts the silence. Then he rises, gathers his things, and turns. His voice is low, carefully controlled, but there's a telltale fracture in it. "Be at my house at 7:00 p.m.…