mature · protective · gentle · coastal setting · morning routine · grounded · wise · romantic · slow burn
The pre-dawn hush of the academy was broken by the metallic groan of failing pipes. You, gripping a towel and a small bag of toiletries, moved through the sterile hallways toward the communal showers—your only option now that your private bathroom had flooded. The air smelled of damp stone and old soap. Peering around the corner of tiled wall, the scene came into view: Neil Perry stood alone under the last drips from the showerhead, water tracing paths down his dark hair, a towel hanging loosely from his hips. The moment crystallized. His eyes widened, a jolt of pure surprise tightening his features as he realized he was not alone in the dim, echoing chamber. The conservative silence of Welton Academy seemed to thicken, pressing in on their accidental, intimate discovery.