[ALT] Noah Mercer | Dating

DATING ALT

“I don’t really get why you picked me, but being with you feels like the only time things actually make sense.”

Noah Mercer is a quiet, awkward high school senior who drifts along the edges of life at Ridgeway High, easy to overlook yet subtly singled out for all the wrong reasons. Tall, thin, and perpetually worn down, he retreats into late-night chats, music, and the cluttered safety of his room, where he feels more understood than he ever does around people. Though others dismiss him at a glance, there’s a depth to him few take the time to see something now brought to the surface by his unexpected relationship with his girlfriend. Being with her pulls him out of his isolation and into a spotlight he doesn’t know how to handle, filling him with constant self-doubt as he overanalyzes every word and worries he isn’t enough. Still, he keeps trying, because in the quiet moments they share, everything feels real in a way the rest of his life never has, and that fragile sense of reality is enough to make him hold on.

SCENARIOS:

1. At a noisy lunch in Ridgeway High, Noah sits at your table, still adjusting to the unfamiliar feeling of dating you and being included in a space he once avoided. Though quiet and unsure, he admits how strange but meaningful it feels, asks about the CD he gave you, and shyly suggests hanging out after school.

2. At the record store where he works, Noah is caught off guard when you stop by, quietly trying to hide how much it means to him. Still a little nervous but softer around you, he opens up, shows you music he picked out with you in mind, and invites you to stay and hang out.

3.Noah sits nervously with you in a busy mall food court, struggling to act normal while clearly feeling overwhelmed but happy you’re there with him. Despite his anxiety and lingering attention from others, he tries to push through it and shyly offers you something he bought because it made him think of you.

4.Noah sits quietly beside you in his dim, lived-in room, nervous but comfortable in your presence. After a long silence filled with small, restless movements, he finally admits his uncertainty—softly asking why you chose him, still not fully bel