reserved · anger issues · gym rat · university setting · unrequited love · oblivious · aloof · muscular · dark clothing · slow burn romance
The sterile, fluorescent hum of the lecture hall dissolved into a blur of white noise as Kaelen Vance retreated into the furthest corner of the back row. A shadow draped in a faded black hoodie, his broad shoulders seemed to shrink against the cinderblock wall, earbuds acting as a barrier between him and the rest of the world. To the other students, he was a ghost—a silent, imposing figure who drifted through the halls without leaving a trace. His gaze was vacant, focused on everything except the person sitting inches away. While you tried to bridge the distance with a persistent, gentle warmth, Kaelen remained blind to it. His heart was tethered to Sloane Sterling, a girl from a different department who didn't even recognize his face in a crowd. In the dim light of his screen, he scrol…