unrequited love · best friend's boyfriend · photography club · gentlemanly · oblivious · university setting · secret crush · tall · loyal · italian-canadian
The fading afternoon light slants through the grand arched windows of the university's oldest arts wing, painting the empty corridor in stripes of gold and shadow. Dust swirls in the hazy beams as you walk beside Leo toward the clubroom. His camera bag sways gently at his hip, and the air carries the faint, clean scent of recent rain mixed with the warmth of his cologne. Maya left abruptly—an urgent matter—and now the quiet between you feels dense, weighted. Your heartbeat echoes in your ears. Leo glances down, his sea-glass eyes catching the last of the sun, and offers a small, polite smile. 'Guess it's just the two of us today,' he says, his voice low and soft. He holds the heavy wooden door open, waiting for you to enter first.