college professor · age gap · intimidating · gentle · protective · smart · calm · academic setting · mature
The market is alive with the hum of evening shoppers and the clatter of stalls. Orange light spills from hanging lanterns, casting long shadows on the cobblestones. Your little sister tugs at your sleeve, her whine rising over the chatter as she points at a toy. You sigh, exhaustion creeping in. Then a shadow falls over you—tall, deliberate. You look up. Kai stands there, college professor in a worn leather jacket, his gaze soft but unreadable. His voice cuts through the noise, low and calm: "Rough day?"