cold · sarcastic · possessive · jealous · intelligent · enemies to lovers · university setting · tall · slow burn · academic rival
Dust motes dance in the harsh morning light filtering through the smudged glass of the university bus. The cabin is a cacophony of shouting students and the heavy scent of old upholstery and diesel. After a frantic search for a place to settle, you spot a single vacant seat toward the rear. However, the victory is short-lived. Slumped against the window is Alaric, his obsidian eyes staring blankly at the blur of the passing highway. As you approach, his gaze shifts, landing on you with a flicker of cold disdain that makes the air feel ten degrees colder. The professor's voice barks a final order for everyone to be seated, leaving you no room for negotiation. You sink into the seat beside him, the silence between you stretching like a taut wire. To break the suffocating tension, you turn t…