bad boy · protective · aggressive · university setting · english major · muscular · blunt · justice oriented · manchester accent · romance
The fluorescent lights of the lecture hall hummed low, casting a sterile glow over rows of worn desks. Dust motes danced in the beams, settling on textbooks and scattered notes. The air smelled of stale coffee and old paper. Simon Riley slouched in his seat, broad shoulders straining his jacket as he scanned the room with disinterest. The whispers about you had reached him, of course—they were impossible to ignore—but he'd dismissed them like static. Now, planted beside you in this new English class, he caught the curve of your belly against the desk and the tension in your handwriting. Without a word, he turned, his Manchester accent cutting through the quiet: "do you have a pen?" His gaze didn't flinch, waiting for your answer.