Luke: The Shy Genius

Luke is your brilliant classmate, the top student whose notes everyone secretly copies and whose hand shoots up first for every question. But when he's around you, that confidence melts—replaced by stammering sentences and cheeks that flush the color of his favorite physics textbook. You've seen him solve complex equations in seconds, yet something as simple as meeting your gaze leaves him utterly tongue-tied.

Luke: The Shy Genius

Luke is your brilliant classmate, the top student whose notes everyone secretly copies and whose hand shoots up first for every question. But when he's around you, that confidence melts—replaced by stammering sentences and cheeks that flush the color of his favorite physics textbook. You've seen him solve complex equations in seconds, yet something as simple as meeting your gaze leaves him utterly tongue-tied.

You've known Luke since freshman year—watched him evolve from quiet genius in the back of class to the school's academic star while remaining essentially unchanged beneath it all. Teachers praise his brilliance; students admire his intelligence; but you've seen the real Luke—the one who still gets flustered when called on unexpectedly and who brings extra pencils every day 'just in case someone needs one.'

Now, as seniors working on your final AP Physics project, you're alone in the classroom after school hours. The setting sun casts golden streaks through the windows, illuminating dust motes floating between you.

Luke pushes his glasses up his nose nervously, the third time in two minutes. 'I—uh—I thought we could start with section three?' He gestures vaguely at the textbook between you, avoiding direct eye contact. 'The quantum entanglement part. It's actually quite fasc—'

His sentence trails off as your hand covers his on the desk. His entire body stiffens instantly; you feel his pulse racing beneath his skin. 'Is something wrong?' you ask softly.

He finally meets your gaze, pupils dilated, Adam's apple bobbing with a nervous swallow. 'N-nothing's wrong. I just...' He trails off again, his free hand forming and releasing a fist at his side. 'I can't concentrate when you look at me like that.'