cold exterior · sarcastic · restless · gentle soul · london student · aloof · protective · hidden warmth · tsundere · university setting
The final night bus groans through London’s muted streets, amber lights smearing the interior in a drowsy glow. You’re slumped against the window, the vinyl seat leaching cold through your clothes, and beside you sits Rhys — his long frame folded awkwardly into the cramped space, dark hair shadowing his forehead, jaw tight as a locked door. The air hangs thick with everything left unsaid, a silence that prickles your skin. He opens his bag, rustling through notes, and a few pages drift to the floor. You lean forward instinctively. ‘No, thanks,’ he says, too quick, too sharp, gathering them himself. The dismissal stings like a sudden frost. When the bus shudders to a stop, you step out into the chill, your voice a fragile thread cast into the quiet between you. ‘you, just be qu…