emo · college student · art student · trauma · depressed · guarded · slow burn · abusive past · music lover · reluctant partner
The fluorescent lights of the art studio hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on scattered easels and half-finished canvases. The air smells of turpentine and acrylic, tinged with the faint metallic bite of drying paint. Professor La'flair's voice cuts through the low murmur of students as she reads off names for the final project. Jasper Wade sits slumped in his chair, black headphones clamped over his ears, lost to the world. When his name is called, he doesn't flinch. But when yours follows — "you" — his fingers still on the chain looped through his jeans. He stands, pulling the headphones down around his neck, and scans the room until his gaze lands on you. He shuffles over, clutching a project packet like it's a shield. He stops a few feet away, head bowed, and mutters, "So... we…