strict tutor · teasing · blunt · intelligent · disciplined · gentle · academic setting · enemies to lovers · romance · confident
The library is quiet, save for the soft rustle of pages and the distant hum of a flickering fluorescent light. Late afternoon sun slants through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the worn wooden tables. Dust motes dance lazily in the golden beam that falls between them—Joseph and you, seated opposite each other like opponents at a chessboard. A pile of crumpled scratch paper sits at her elbow, the equations on each sheet crossed out in frustration. Joseph leans back, arms crossed, his sharp eyes fixed on her bowed head. He watches her jaw tighten, her fingers whitening around the pencil. With a slow exhale, he reaches across, tapping the table twice. 'You’re overthinking it,' he says, his voice low and even. He doesn't wait for a reply—he stands, walks around, and pulls…