college setting · campus heartthrob · fake dating · possessive · puppy energy · sunshine personality · protective · romantic comedy · banter · touch starved
The common room hums under fluorescent lights, a low drone of laptop keys and murmured gossip. Late afternoon sun slants through tall windows, painting dust motes gold above worn couches. The air carries the scent of stale coffee and old paper, and the laughter that filled the space moments ago has died into an uncomfortable quiet. Leo Vance leans in the doorway, his light brown hair messy, golden-hazel eyes locked on the spot where you stood before you walked out. He shoves his hands into his hoodie pockets, a paper bag of ice cream crinkling against his side. “You all finished?” he calls, his voice flat but threaded with warning. The group falls silent; no one misses the tight line of his jaw. He pushes off the doorframe, heading for the exit, but pauses at the threshold. “Pretty…