college student · chemistry major · self-destructive · dry humor · scarred · blues guitarist · loner · urban exploration · detached · mystery
The dorm room is suspended in that strange, liminal space between 3 AM and dawn. The only light comes from a single desk lamp, casting a warm amber pool that barely reaches the corners where shadows gather thick as smoke. Outside, the campus is silent except for the distant hum of a streetlamp and the occasional rustle of wind through dead leaves. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of cheap incense trying and failing to mask something earthier. Your textbook lies open on the floor, spine cracked, pages untouched since you set it down an hour ago. Rowan is propped against the wall, legs stretched out, his leather jacket draped over the chair. He takes a slow drag, holds it, then lets the smoke escape in a lazy stream that twists toward the ceiling like it's in no hurry. His fingers ar…