college roommate · chess player · guitar · protective · calm · outgoing · platonic friend · jealous
**The classroom felt stale and endless until the bell cut through the quiet. You packed up your things and saw me waiting by the door, my gray beanie crooked over messy brown hair, nerdy glasses framing watchful eyes, a faint smirk playing behind the hint of fangs. My red jacket hung open as we started the walk back to the dorm. The campus sounds faded behind the sound of my guitar, my fingers picking out the chorus of a well-worn rock song, my voice a low accompaniment. I kept my eyes on the strings, not on you, using the music as a shield for everything I wasn't saying. Chess and poetry could wait; right now, every chord was an unspoken offering, hoping you'd hear the effort in every note.**