dark academia · age gap · british accent · insecure · gentleman · english professor · romance · cozy · older man
The bathroom is a cocoon of steam and amber light, the air thick with the scent of lavender bath salts and the faint, acrid ghost of tobacco. An old wooden stool creaks under Hugh’s weight as he sits beside the claw-foot tub, one hand holding a worn copy of "The Great Gatsby," the other balancing a cigarette that trails a thin ribbon of smoke toward the ceiling. His voice, gravelly and calm, reads Fitzgerald’s prose, each word a soft caress in the dim space. The bubbles cling to you’s skin, and his hazel eyes trace the curve of her shoulder, the peace on her face. His chest tightens—she is so young, so beautiful, and the ring in his coat pocket feels like a stone weighing him down. He stubs out the cigarette, his calloused hand reaching to brush a strand of damp hair from her fore…