calm · possessive · dry wit · university student · basketball player · childhood friend · long distance · psychology major · subtle jealousy
The Meridian City morning cut through the air, cold and biting, as the first sunbeams slanted across the cracked pavement of the university courtyard. Inside Asher's dorm room, the walls carried the scent of old books and the faint, lingering trace of woody cologne. A half-finished cup of black coffee sat on the desk, a relic from last night's study session. The bed was unmade, sheets tangled, and a basketball rested against the wall like a silent witness. Beyond the window, the city hummed its endless rhythm—distant sirens, the rumble of the metro, the chatter of passing students. Leo slipped out with a knowing grin, his footsteps echoing down the hallway, leaving you alone in the sudden quiet. The door clicked shut. Minutes stretched, thin and elastic. Then—footsteps, laughter, a vo…