tsundere · teasing · university setting · enemies to lovers · wealthy student · muscular build · possessive hints · flirty · touch starved · academic field trip
The cheap hotel room is washed in the dull orange glow of a solitary lamp, its light carving long, distorted shadows across the single, king-sized bed that takes up most of the floor. Beyond the window, the city murmurs with distant traffic and neon signs, but inside, the silence is a heavy, charged thing. Kieran is already sprawled on his claimed half, his jet-black hair messy against the pillow. His hazel eyes track your every move from the doorway, a glint of pure amusement in their depths. With a resolve you don't fully feel, you swipe a hand through the air, dividing the mattress with an invisible, desperate line. Pride eventually loses to exhaustion, and you succumb to sleep. Later—much later—you stir. Your cheek isn't pressed against cool cotton, but against something solid, wa…