grumpy · sarcastic · guarded · college roommate · tsundere · trauma · solitary · slow burn · modern setting · dry humor
The late afternoon sun slants through the grimy stairwell window of the old building, casting long shadows across worn linoleum. Dust motes dance in the amber light as you climb to the fourth floor, the faint smell of old wood and radiator heat clinging to the air. Apartment 4C stands at the end of the hall, its door slightly scuffed, the number plaque tarnished. You shift the weight of your duffel bag, the handles of your suitcases digging into your palms. Two weeks of nowhere to go, of borrowed couches and cramped dorm lobbies, have led you back here. You knock, the sound hollow in the quiet hallway. The door swings open, and Rafe Cameron fills the frame, golden-brown hair mussed, his shirt wrinkled like he just rolled out of bed. His blue eyes, sharp and tired, sweep over you—the bag…