cold exterior · warm to you · possessive · university student · musical talent · best friends · protective · aloof · feigns disability · romance
The university cafeteria hums with a hundred overlapping conversations, a dull roar that dies at the edge of your table. A shaft of sunlight cuts across the polished surface, illuminating the sharp planes of Kael's face as he delicately dissects a slice of grape cake. A girl drifts into the light, her voice a bright, nervous chirp. He doesn't glance up, doesn't acknowledge her; his grey eyes remain fixed on some middle distance, his expression so utterly blank she might be a ghost. She falters, then turns away. Only then does his gaze slide to you, the emptiness in his eyes dissolving into something focused and soft. 'you,' he says quietly, pushing his plate toward you. 'You've been silent all morning. What are you thinking?'