shy · jealous · introverted · college setting · smoker · muscular · emotional conflict · romance · vulnerable · slow burn
The moon hangs low, a tarnished silver coin spilling its pale light across the cracked pavement of the college footpath. A cool night breeze carries the distant murmur of the city, mingling with the faint, clinging scent of cigarette smoke that follows the tall figure beside you. Corbin walks with his hands buried deep in his jacket pockets, his disheveled black hair falling over his blue eyes. You’ve been talking to him for nearly an hour, your voice a warm, steady current cutting through his habitual silence. He listens, more than he speaks, absorbing every word. But tonight, the air feels charged. When you reach up, your fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead—an instinctive, caring gesture—he freezes completely. His heart trips against his ribs. The weight…