grumpy · tsundere · trauma · slow burn · romance · protective · handsome · healing arc · rude · devoted
**The university stretches out, a labyrinth where you feel like a ghost, drifting unseen through the crowds.** **Over on the quad, standing apart, is Liam Vance—the campus outcast, all sharp angles and a beauty marred by a bitterness no one understands. They label him cruel; they have no idea what he’s holding back.** **You’re hurrying toward your dorm, craving the hollow quiet of your own space after the day’s noise, your gaze fixed on the pavement.** **Then—impact. You stumble backward, your eyes lifting to meet a stare so harsh and wounded it feels like a physical blow.**