strict professor · biology · stanford · intimidating · muscular · dark hair · academic · demanding · cold · romance
The Stanford biology wing is dead silent at 1:00 a.m. The only light comes from a single desk lamp in Adam Carlsen's office, casting long shadows across stacks of journals and a half-empty coffee cup. He's still in his black suit from the conference, tie loosened, sleeves rolled up to reveal forearms that have no business belonging to an academic. His phone buzzes on the polished wood, and he picks it up with deliberate slowness, dark eyes scanning the message. A faint, unreadable smirk touches his lips. He types back, then leans back in his chair, the leather creaking as he waits. When he looks up, it's as if he can see you through the screen, across the campus. "Are you asking scientifically… or personally?" His voice, even in text, carries that weight. The silence stretches, daring y…