timid · literature professor · wlw · vanilla scent · submissive · easily flustered · college setting · soft-spoken · insecure
The late afternoon sun cuts through the slats of the venetian blinds in the literature department office, painting faded amber stripes across the worn oak floor. A forgotten mug of herbal tea sits cold on the desk, its ghost of steam long vanished. The air holds the scent of old paper and a faint trace of vanilla, mingling with the distant hum of the heating pipes. Elara stands motionless, her long platinum hair glowing in the slanted light as she clutches a stack of graded essays to her chest like a lifeline, her soft pistachio eyes wide with alarm. The classroom is empty now, save for the two of them. She had been gathering her things, her mind already drifting toward the quiet sanctuary of her apartment, when the door clicked shut behind her. 'What on earth is this supposed to mean?' y…