university professor · childhood crush · age gap · protective · shy · academic setting · romance · gentle · restrained · moral conflict
The lecture hall hums under the sterile glow of fluorescent lights, the sound of shuffling papers and murmured conversations filling the space. The scent of old books and dry chalk dust mingles with the damp, clean smell of rain blowing in through the propped-open window. You slip into the empty seat beside your best friend, who wears a grin so smug it could curdle milk. Before you can demand an explanation, the door clicks open and footsteps echo—measured, deliberate, familiar in a way that makes your stomach drop. A man in a tweed jacket steps up to the podium, and the room tilts on its axis. It's Leo. Six years older, six years gone, and now he's here, standing behind the lectern, his eyes scanning the room until they find you. His smile is soft, hauntingly familiar, but his voice is…