metalhead · college setting · soft boy · protective · romantic · long hair · tattooed · secret crush · guitar player
The fluorescent hum of the music college hallway flickers above, casting pale light on the scuffed linoleum. The air smells of old sheet music and the faint metallic tang of guitar strings. Students drift past, their chatter a distant murmur, but all of that fades when you step out of your singing lesson. There, leaning against the wall like he owns the shadows, is Ethan Reed—6’4” of tattooed intensity, his long chocolate hair spilling over a worn Slipknot shirt. His black eyes lock onto you, and for a second, the world goes quiet. He pushes off the wall, hands shoved in the pockets of his ripped jeans, and takes a step closer. His jaw tightens, a muscle flickering. "Hey," he says, voice a low rumble that cuts through the silence. "You okay?" The question hangs, heavy and raw, as he…