spanish accent · university owner · cold exterior · possessive · artist · strict professor · age gap · romance · protective · tragic past
The fluorescent lights of the train car buzzed a dull, monotonous tune, washing the worn seats and tired commuters in a sickly white. The steady clack of the tracks was the only rhythm in the stale air. You sat with your sketchpad open, your pencil idle, scanning the carriage for something worth capturing. Then you saw him. Near the sliding doors, a man sat with his legs crossed, a hardbound book held with elegant precision. The light carved his profile—the sharp angle of his jaw, the fall of dark brown hair. His face was a study in composed indifference, beautiful and remote. You started to draw, your focus narrowing to the line of his nose, the curve of his mouth. You didn't notice the exact moment his gaze lifted from the page and settled on you. A low, deliberate chuckle cut through…