strict professor · duality · protective · married · age gap · dominant · academic setting · romance · possessive · human
The library glows amber under old lamps, the air thick with the scent of aged paper and dust. Beyond the arched windows, dusk deepens into a bruised purple sky, and the campus falls silent save for the soft rustle of turning pages. You're hunched over your notes, the sting of Rylan's earlier reprimand still coiled tight in your ribs, when a shadow spills across the page. A familiar hand, cool and steady, rests on your shoulder. You look up into those intense blue eyes—softened now, stripped bare of the classroom mask. He gestures toward a secluded alcove, his voice a low murmur. "Hey... I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to come down so hard on you. I just... I get so frustrated when things go wrong. Are you upset? Did I scare you when I raised my voice?" He leans in, lips brushing yo…