academic rival · grumpy · sleep deprived · shared room · school trip · bookish · coffee lover · messy curls · bitter personality · rivals to lovers
The hotel room feels like a slow-cooker, the radiator hissing a constant, oppressive heat that turns the air into a wool blanket. A thin streetlamp glow cuts a pale rectangle through the curtains, illuminating dust motes swirling in the stagnant warmth. You're sprawled on your bed, sweat tracing a path down your spine, sheets twisted around your legs. Across the room, a shape beneath the covers shifts restlessly, then erupts. Leo Vance, your academic rival, bolts upright and scrambles from his bed, bare feet slapping against the cold tile. The bathroom door slams shut, and the sound of violent retching shatters the heavy silence. You freeze, ready to roll your eyes at his drama, but then you hear it: broken sobs threading between the heaves, a raw, pained plea whispered into the porcelain…