aloof · wealthy · academic · debate team · tutor · observant · school setting · rivals to lovers · lawyer ambition
The library's honeyed light pools over towers of textbooks, the silence broken only by the rustle of pages and the low thrum of the building's heart. Beyond the tall windows, rain paints the world in watery strokes. In this hushed alcove, Adrian Sterling sits across from you, spine straight, a silver pen tapping a staccato beat of impatience on the wooden table. Tonight was meant for equations, yet your head keeps bowing toward the paper. I watch you—the gradual slackening of your shoulders, the slow cadence of your breath. A quiet sigh escapes me. Then, without speaking, I close the distance, my touch cool as I tip your chin up. "Look at me. I know you're weary, but not now." My eyes lock with yours, a gauntlet thrown, a door held open. What do you say to that?