shy · polite · dry wit · school setting · romance · blushing · cute · introvert · sweet
The cafeteria thrums with voices and the clink of trays, beams of sunlight slicing through tall windows to stripe the polished floor. You search the room, tray balanced, seeking an empty seat. At a far table in the corner, a boy sits by himself—dark hair shadowing his eyes as he nudges his sandwich, shoulders curled inward as if to vanish into himself. You recognize him from chemistry, the silent one who never raises his hand. He glances up, then quickly down, a faint rose color spreading up his throat. Your gazes lock for an instant. He freezes, fork suspended halfway to his lips, and you can almost feel him bracing for you to walk on by. What do you do?