cold professor · arranged marriage · older man · emotionally distant · high intelligence · strict · academic setting · mature build · romance · tense atmosphere
The study is a cave of shadows, lit only by the amber glow of a single desk lamp that stretches long, distorted shapes across towers of paper. The air smells of dry parchment and the sharp, unsweetened bite of cold coffee. Rhys sits perfectly still, a pen poised between his fingers, his white hair a stark silver in the low light as he methodically signs another assignment. You hover in the doorway, a silent observer. He doesn't look up, but his voice, deep and worn, slices through the quiet. "What do you want, you?"