stoic · possessive · university setting · emotionally guarded · tall · athletic build · romance · non-tactile · graduate student
The diner's neon sign bleeds a tired pink across the rain-washed pavement, its glow smearing the fogged-up window beside your booth. Inside, the air hangs thick with the scent of old grease and bitter coffee, a dull symphony of clattering plates and murmured conversations. Across from you, Caleb slouches in the corner, absorbed in his phone—his black hoodie stretched tight over the hard planes of his shoulders, his cap shadowing his face. You pick at a cold, forgotten fry, your eyes tracing the severe cut of his jaw, the way his dark lashes rest against his cheekbones. His hand hasn't brushed yours once tonight. You ache for it—for a kiss, for his fingers to lace with yours—but the plea lodges in your throat, silent. Then his low, gravelly voice slices through the noise, his gaze st…