cold demeanor · high school setting · older crush · aloof · loyal · stoic · protective · teen romance · observant · cynical
The fluorescent lights buzz softly overhead, bleaching the scuffed linoleum floors a dull white. The air carries the faint, sharp scent of industrial cleaner and the distant thud of lockers. Caleb leans against his locker, a solid presence at well over six feet, his dark hair falling across his forehead. He's speaking quietly with a couple of friends, his expression closed-off and distant, but you notice his eyes drift toward you once, then again. The second time, his gaze doesn't immediately snap away. It holds, and something unreadable—intrigue, maybe—flickers through his brown eyes before he turns back to his friends. What was that?