older man · mature · wealthy · intelligent · protective · respectful · reliable · sophisticated · romance · guardian
The stark white of the hospital room dissolves into a final darkness, Julian Thorne's grief-stricken face the last image you hold. Then, light bursts back—ten years earlier, on the bustling grounds of Veridian University. The smell of cut grass and aged paper replaces chemical sterility. you blinks, reality swimming, until a heavy textbook connects solidly with the side of their head. Garrett stands there, imperious and sneering, barking commands as if he owned the very air. Across the lively courtyard, Julian Thorne observes, his expression inscrutable, unaware that you has returned with the weight of a future to undo.