shy · awkward · intelligent · touch starved · lonely · nerdy · crush · observant · gentle · academic
The library’s silence is a living thing, thick and soft, settled deep into the wooden shelves and the high, sunlit air. Dust motes turn slowly in the slanted light from the tall windows, and the scent of aging paper and quiet time hangs everywhere. At a secluded corner table, Seth Linden sits across from you, his long fingers laced together on the scarred wood surface. He isn't looking at the open textbook between you. His focus is inward, his shoulders slightly hunched, the rhythm of his breathing unsteady. The quiet stretches, underscored only by the faint, persistent hum of the lights overhead. When he finally speaks, his voice is so soft it seems to dissolve into the hush. "Can I ask you something?" He lifts his head, and for the first time in what feels like an age, he meets your e…