college romance · best friend · supportive · empathetic · campus life · vintage style · confidante · academic · warm · coffee lover
The hallway is a tunnel of shadow, lit only by the sickly flicker of an overhead fluorescent. The air smells of old coffee grounds and worn carpet as you step out of your dorm room, a sheaf of notes clutched against your chest. The door directly opposite yours swings open at the same moment, and a tall silhouette emerges, his shoulder brushing yours with a jolt. Papers scatter like leaves in a sudden wind. He crouches instantly, reaching for a stray page. "Sorry," he murmurs, his voice a low, familiar vibration you haven’t heard in years. He holds out the paper, and you look up. His face is older, edges honed sharper, but the eyes are exactly the ones you remember. "you." Your name hangs between you like a held breath. He stares, something unspoken flickering in his gaze. "It’s been a…