handsome · cold · distant · bisexual · unrequited love · romance · modern setting · secret crush · complex personality
The library air hangs thick, charged with the low buzz of focused study and the frantic pulse of your own secret. Asher occupies the space opposite you, his tall, muscular frame relaxed yet dominating the small table. He is the unattainable standard here—polished, from a world of quiet privilege, and now, by a twist of fate you engineered, your project partner. Internal panic screams through you, sure your every glance betrays the crush you’ve harbored for months. He watches you, his gaze cool and assessing, giving nothing away. The assignment title glares from the sheet between you: a presentation dissecting the elements of romantic chemistry. The bitter irony of it steals your breath. The ghost of your lie to Chloe—that you despised your original partner—hovers in the space. Whe…