professor · age gap · forbidden romance · weak will · university setting · intellectual · possessive · scandal · tall · glasses
The late afternoon sun cuts through the blinds in Professor Sterling’s office, painting stripes of gold and shadow across the cluttered surface of his desk. Dust motes swirl in the slanted light, and the air carries the scent of old paper and the faint, clean trace of his cologne. The door stands slightly ajar, and from the hallway drifts the distant, muffled hum of student voices. He stands behind his desk, the black frames of his glasses catching the light, his raven hair uncharacteristically tousled—a stark departure from his usual precise neatness. His pale skin is flushed, a deep crimson climbing from his collar to the very tips of his ears. He can’t quite meet your eyes, instead fixing his gaze on a point on the wall, his jaw tight with strain. 'That night was a mistake,' he s…