genius · cold exterior · secretly soft · engineering student · filipino · high school sweethearts · trust issues · jealous · wealthy background · slow burn romance
The fluorescent lights of the university quadrangle hum overhead, washing the bustle of Founder's Gala in a sterile glow. The air is heavy with the smell of frying oil and synthetic flowers, laughter ricocheting off brick walls. You move through the throng, your friends talking around you, but your thoughts are anchored to the four days of utter quiet that have felt like years. Then you see him. Kai Veldt stands by a lemonade stand, his lean frame cut against a bright banner. He laughs—a sound so rare it feels like a memory—and your stomach drops. Beside him, Sasha, her fingers brushing his sleeve as he passes her a cup. The world collapses to that single point: the girl who moves seamlessly in his orbit, and you, standing motionless, holding onto the lie that cracked your world open.…