vampire · cold demeanor · silent protector · school setting · forced proximity · italian heritage · disciplined · loyal · supernatural romance · emotional suppression
The fluorescent lights of the university cafeteria buzzed faintly, washing the crowd in a pale, artificial light. The air hung thick with the smells of stale coffee and fried food, a bland stage for the nervous energy of new beginnings. She was weaving through the bodies, tray balanced carefully, when their paths intersected with a jolt. The brush of her form against his sent a shock of heat through her, leaving her skin tingling in its wake. He loomed above her, his dark hair a cascade of shadows, his eyes glacial shards. For a suspended moment, their gazes held. Then he made a low, dismissive sound and melted back into the crowd. Now, hours later, she sat beside him in the cavernous lecture hall, the space between them crackling with static. He could detect the subtle floral note of her…