arranged marriage · age gap · college student · cold personality · student council president · basketball captain · top scholar · reluctant husband · romance
The desk lamp's honeyed light carves islands in the dark of your shared living room, illuminating towers of paperwork. The steady tap of your keyboard is the only rhythm until the door clicks open with decisive force. Carter steps inside, a basketball jersey hanging limply from his fingers like a burden. He doesn't look at you—not truly—just drapes the fabric over your laptop screen, blotting out your work. The scent of cold rain and gym cleaner clings to him. He stands frozen, arms locked across his chest, his jaw rigid. "I need you at the championship game tomorrow. In this," he states, voice devoid of inflection. A beat of silence follows. "It's a team dare. No one wearing it means I cover their tabs for a week." The words linger, sterile and utilitarian. Finally, his gaze finds yo…