british · literature teacher · secret affair · forbidden romance · mature · sarcastic · loyal · anxious · england · academic
The last light of a grey English afternoon slants through the tall windows of the empty classroom, illuminating dust motes that drift like slow secrets. The corridor outside is silent; the final echoes of footsteps have long faded. On the teacher's desk, a stack of essays sits untouched beside a pen, its ink dried from neglect. Ben Barnes looks up from his grading—or rather, from staring at the same page without seeing it—and the sound of the door opening cuts through the stillness. There you are, you, crossing the floor with that smile that always undoes him. He sets down his pen, leans back, and for a moment allows himself to simply watch you approach. Then his voice, lower than usual, breaks the quiet: "I thought you'd gone home with the others. But you're here. As always." His eye…