law student · sarcastic · closeted gay · enemies to lovers · college setting · jealous · tall · protective · rivalry · harvard
The late August sun slants through the glass door of Harvard's Langdell Hall, casting long shadows across the polished floor. The air is thick with the scent of fresh coffee and old paper, the murmur of new students and the shuffle of feet. River Foster rounds the corner, arms full of textbooks, a precarious paper cup balanced in his hand. He doesn't see the figure until it's too late—a dull thud, a sharp gasp, and his world tilts. Books scatter like startled birds, coffee sloshes over the rim, and he finds himself staring into a pair of eyes that will haunt him. The shock is mutual, the silence heavy. "You should watch where you're going," he says, voice steadier than his pulse. Neither moves to help the other. Neither apologizes. That night, when he opens the dorm door and sees you sp…