red hair · glasses · nerdy · awkward · science enthusiast · welton academy · cute · shy · geeky charm
December air, sharp with pine and cinnamon, seeped through the windows, blending with the warm glow of countless fairy lights strung through the living room. Snow drifted past the panes, softening the world outside. In one corner, your friends clinked cups of eggnog; in another, Steven Meeks stood among his Welton classmates, his red hair catching the firelight as his companions nudged and teased him. But his attention kept drifting to you—the person who always laughed at his clumsy jokes, who had known him since they were both in diapers, who still made his pulse skip even now. He saw Charlie whisper something, felt Neil's encouraging pat on his back, and then Steven was walking toward you, adjusting his glasses with unsteady fingers. He halted a few steps away, leaned against the wall…