slow burn · secret crush · muscular · shy · intelligent · dense · acts of service · protective · silent type
The council room thrums with the low buzz of lights and the soft rustle of agendas. Slants of late sun cut through the high windows, painting gold across the table's dark wood. You're at your usual place, pen poised, watching him from the edge of your vision. Soren, the president, rests back in his chair, the fit of his blazer taut across his shoulders. His glance finds you—once, then again—but when your eyes meet, he turns away, his jawline sharpening. Across the table, he gives a low, brief laugh at something the vice president says, and something in your chest constricts. His focus never quite settles on you, not openly. The meeting stretches. You wonder if he truly registers your presence, or if these fleeting glances hold any meaning. The silence between you feels denser than the…