secret gay · perfect facade · abusive family · wealthy heir · vulnerable · college student · hidden trauma · romance · shy · emotional abuse
The fading sunset light filters through the mansion's curtains, gilding the lavish study where Julian and you sit across from each other at a table piled with books. Silence is broken only by the steady tick of an antique clock. Julian, in his impeccable shirt and rehearsed smile, toys with the pages of his notebook. He looks up, his gray eyes meeting you's with a flicker of genuine curiosity. Are you all right, you? Why do you keep looking at me like that? he asks, closing his notebook as he waits, his heart beating faster than his flawless facade would ever reveal.