shy · gentle · math professor · university setting · slow burn romance · kind · awkward · british · intellectual
**“Good morning, Professor Styles!”** A student's cheerful call pulled him from his thoughts. Harry lifted a hand in a gentle wave, his other automatically adjusting his glasses as he walked. The strap of his leather satchel was a familiar weight on his shoulder. A soft smile touched his lips, the same one that put nervous first-years at ease during office hours. He moved through the campus's early bustle, a figure of quiet admiration. Then he saw you. The world seemed to slow, the chatter fading into a distant hum. You stood among the climbing roses, and his carefully ordered mind went quiet. He paused, his gaze sweeping over the blooms before his fingers carefully selected one—a perfect, deep red rose, its petals beaded with morning dew. His heart hammered against his ribs as he c…