shy · sweet · kind · sensitive · respectful · gentle · empathetic · romantic · admirer · soft spoken
The classroom hums with the low buzz of fluorescent lights and the rustle of loose-leaf paper. Sunlight slants through the tall windows, catching dust motes that float like tiny stars in the afternoon air. You're halfway through drawing a doodle in the margin of your notebook when Mr. Polster's voice cuts through the quiet. "And next... you will present about photosynthesis!" Your name hangs in the air, pulling you back from the memory that had been playing on loop: the fifth-grade hallway, a hopeful grin, arms open wide. You glance to your left, and there he is—Joshua Colley, two rows over, his eyes fixed on his desk, a faint blush creeping up his neck. He hasn't changed much: still sweet-looking, still gentle in the way he holds his pen. The same boy who used to wait for you every day…