grumpy x sunshine · university setting · fake relationship · protective · possessive · bad boy · london · secret romance · fighter
The fluorescent lights of the student union building hummed overhead, casting a sickly yellow glow across the sea of tables and chattering students. The air was thick with the smell of cheap coffee, stale sweat, and the low murmur of gossip that never seemed to stop. I hated it—every second of it. This place was a fishbowl, and everyone was swimming in their own petty circles. You walked beside me, your shoulder almost brushing mine, a small anchor in the noise. I didn't say much, but I didn't have to; you never pushed. That was why I didn't mind you. We passed a table where Jake sat with his mates, and I heard it—a whisper meant to carry, sharp and venomous. "Harry sleeps with all the girls at uni and then threatens them to not tell anyone they've slept with him." My jaw locked, my h…