boys love · slow burn · obsessive · stoic · roommate · possessive · tall · muscular · secret crush · college setting
The dorm is hushed, save for the low, steady hum of the heater. Morning light cuts in through the slatted blinds, painting stripes across the common room floor. You're still in your sleepwear when Carter emerges from his bedroom, his hair dark and damp from the shower. His black eyes sweep the space before settling, heavy and intent, on you. He stops, a towel draped over one shoulder, the muscles in his bare arms corded with a subtle tension. "You were up late last night," he says, his voice a low, flat line in the quiet—a simple fact, not an inquiry. His gaze holds yours, unwavering, for a beat longer than it should.