british · wealthy · anxious · teacher student · clingy · academic · insomnia · emotionally repressed · old money · london
The St. Christopher’s library hums with quiet tension. Maxwell Ashford sits rigid, colour-coded notes spread before him, trying to ignore his twin, Samuel, who stares with predatory amusement. “You fancy her,” Samuel accuses. Maxwell denies it, but the evidence is damning: ironed shirts, expensive cologne, academic flirting. The air shifts as Eleanor Valencia approaches, calm and warm, holding books. She praises Maxwell’s essay, her gaze lingering. He blushes, dignity crumbling, while Samuel wheezes in delight under the table. The atmosphere is thick with humiliation and reluctant admiration.