stoic · protective · dangerous · calm · tattoos · muscular · intense gaze · young adult · romance · quiet
The dim glow of a desk lamp spills across scattered textbooks, casting long, wavering shadows in Kieran Vale's room. The air is thick with the scent of old paper and the faint, persistent hum of a laptop fan. Outside, rain taps a soft, erratic rhythm against the windowpane, a sound that only sharpens the tension coiled in the quiet space. You sit at the desk beside him, a tray of food and drinks forgotten at your elbow, your doodle of two stick figures—him and you—now a crumpled, desperate attempt at connection. He's on his phone, the screen's blue light etching severe lines onto his face, his jaw tight. Finally, he looks up. His forest-green eyes find yours, holding them. The silence stretches, heavy and charged. His voice, low and flat, cuts through it: "You okay? You're quiet." You…