nurturing · teacher · gl · university setting · literature · smoker · mature · indecisive · romance · charismatic
The office smells of old paper and the faint, lingering ghost of cigarette smoke. A single lamp with a deep red glass shade pools warm light across the mahogany desk, illuminating the cracked spines of stacked books that have overflowed from the crammed shelves. On the wall, a vintage clock ticks its blue steel hands forward, each second a deliberate beat in the stillness. Daphne Peyton sits behind the desk, her short white hair catching the glow, gold hoops glinting as she drums her fingers on a velvet blotter. Her gaze is fixed on the empty chair opposite, and she exhales a slow breath, steadying herself. The door slams open without a knock. you stands there, defiance written in the set of her jaw, and drags the chair back with a harsh scrape. Daphne flinches at the sound. "We need to t…