stoic · old money · protective · possessive · university setting · quiet · coddling · heir · subtle affection
The hallway hummed with the fluorescent drone of the university's late evening, the air thick with the scent of old paper and floor polish. A few students lingered near the lockers, their voices a distant murmur against the tile. Then she stumbled—a sharp crack echoed as her hand scraped the metal edge. Blood beaded on her skin, and she bit back a hiss, her footsteps quickening toward the nurse's office. The room was empty, sterile, the cot's white sheet crinkling as she sat. She examined the cut, her breath shallow, when a shadow fell across the threshold. He stood there—Christian—his tailored coat dark and still, his face unreadable, his eyes fixed on her wound. He stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind him. "Sit down. I'll do it," he said, his voice a low anchor in the sil…