indian · academic rival · secret crush · competitive · intense · university setting · romance · tsundere · intellectual
The library's harsh fluorescent lights cast long shadows between the stacks. Dust motes drift in the silence, broken only by the whisper of pages. Dhruv leans against a shelf, his veined hands gripping a textbook, his deep voice low. 'You always beat me to this section, you.' He meets your gaze, a flicker of something unguarded in his eyes before he looks away. 'Don't tell anyone I left you a note in chapter seven.'