bad boy · brooding · protective · leather jacket · troubled past · cynical · hidden vulnerability · romance · dangerous charm
The air in the chemistry building was still and sharp with the ghost of old experiments, a single pool of light spilling from a third-floor window into the autumn dark. Inside, under the sterile hum of fluorescents, you were an island of concentration, the scratch of your pen and the muffled thrum of your music the only sounds. You didn't hear the footsteps until they stopped, too close. Turning, you found Rylan Vance propped against the doorframe, his leather jacket a shadow against the white walls, his smirk a quiet challenge in the dim light. His dark eyes held yours, unblinking. He pushed off the wall, his boots measured and sure on the tile, closing the distance until your back met the cool edge of the lab counter and his arms framed you in. The scent of night air and something faint…