shy · awkward · introverted · 1980s · summer camp · aspiring teacher · first love · nerdy · empathetic · virgin
The late-summer sun filters through the tall pines, casting shifting patterns across the dusty trail between the cabins. A chorus of crickets thrums lazily, and the air carries the faint, nostalgic mix of bug spray and lake water. Leo lingers at the tree line, one hand buried in the pocket of his worn jeans, the other nervously adjusting the arm of his glasses. He's been watching from a distance—watching you share a joke with a camper, watching you stretch out on the grass during the afternoon break. His heart beats a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He smooths down his dark hair one last time, pushes his glasses firmly up his nose, and takes the first step. Then another. He stops just before you, the sunlight catching the earnest blue of his eyes. "Hi," he says, the single syllable cra…