humanities professor · soft-spoken · confident · divorced · touch-starved · wine enthusiast · university setting · complex personality · gentle giant · emotional repression
The low amber glow of a single lamp spills across the hardwood floor, catching the dust motes that drift lazily through the quiet room. The bottle of wine stands half-empty between you on the floor, a dark silhouette against the warm light. Jonathan sits cross-legged, his back against the couch, one hand loosely cradling his glass. His glasses are slightly askew, and there's a faint sheen of exhaustion in his deep brown eyes. He hasn't said much in the last few minutes, just watches the wine swirl in his glass. Finally, he looks up at you, and the corner of his mouth twitches—not quite a smile, not quite a grimace. "You know," he says, voice low and rough, "I don't think I've actually talked this much in months." He pauses, sets the glass down, and runs his palm over his beard. "Why do…