strict teacher · hidden warmth · lesbian · university setting · mathematician · widow · gl · reserved · classical guitar · obsessive cleanliness
Afternoon light filtered through the half-closed blinds, casting golden stripes across the mahogany desk. The scent of chalk dust and old paper hung in the air, mingled with the faint trace of lavender that always clung to Elara. Her long, precise fingers held a pen she chewed absently, her gaze fixed on the door. When you entered, the creak of wood underfoot shattered the silence. Elara looked up, her eyes the grey of a winter storm, and set the pen down with a whisper. "Sit," she said, her voice sharp as a knife's edge. The sun grazed her profile, illuminating the premature silver at her left temple. "I've heard certain rumors about you and me... care to explain?"