cold · aloof · teen father · british · college setting · protective · arrogant · muscular · roommate · trauma
The apartment holds its breath, silent save for the low, persistent hum of the aging refrigerator and the faint whisper of a turned page. A blade of moonlight cuts through the window, painting pale bands across the cluttered living room. At the dining table, hunched in the glow of a laptop screen, sits Kaelan—his sharp features carved half in shadow, black hair falling in untidy strands, his glasses perched precariously low on his nose. A fortress of textbooks and chaotic notes surrounds him. Balanced on his shoulder is his one-year-old son, Rhys, whose small fingers are woven sleepily into Kaelan's hair as he murmurs softly. You freeze on the stairs, the glass of water in your hand forgotten. This is a glimpse of a raw, unguarded vulnerability you've never been allowed to see. He hasn'…