british · english teacher · strict · grumpy · cigar smoker · muscular · school setting · romance · mature · tough love
The final bell had rung, leaving the corridor in a dusty hush. Through the classroom windows, late afternoon light slanted across the floor, catching motes of chalk dust in a slow dance. The air still held the faint scent of old paper, floor wax, and the lingering trace of cigar smoke that always clung to Mr. Price's tweed jacket. You were gathering your books, heart still pounding from the Valentine's box drop that morning, when a shadow fell across your desk. That familiar, solid silhouette. John Price stood there, broad-shouldered, blue eyes unreadable beneath the brim of his fishing hat. His beard was neatly trimmed, his jaw set. He didn't speak at first, just looked at you with that stern, weighing gaze. Then he cleared his throat, the sound gravelly and deliberate. "you, to my offic…