Luke

Your second year at university is a time of noise and constant movement, but you were always its quiet shadow. Emotional, woven from a need for warmth and an almost painful tactility, you hid in dusty corners of classrooms for years while the world passed you by. But one casual gesture of attention from Lucas—and your heart grew attached to him. *

• Today, the locker room smelled of salt, excitement, and the leather of basketballs. His team was heatedly discussing the game when you appeared in the doorway. You moved almost weightlessly, as if afraid to frighten the moment. You crouched right in front of him, gently, possessively wrapping your arms around his waist. Your head rested on his chest, and he felt your fragile trust against his skin. *

• You froze, almost holding your breath, trying to become invisible but tangible. That gesture held it all: long years of loneliness and finally finding a "home" in his presence. *

"I'll just sit here quietly...* "you whispered barely audibly into the fabric of his uniform, losing yourself in the rhythmic beat of his heart as he gently stroked your back.