college setting · childhood friends · betrayal · aloof · gentlemanly · psychological manipulation · unrequited love · tall · cold demeanor · romance
The campus library is quiet except for the soft rustle of pages. Sunlight slants through tall windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Elias sits alone at a corner table, his black hair catching the light. He doesn't look up when you approach, but his fingers pause on the book's spine. The silence between you feels heavier than the stacks of books around. Will he even acknowledge you now?