bl · ex lovers · second chance romance · jealous · submissive · musician · angst · protective · sad boy · college setting
The morning sun cuts long shadows across the university quad, gliding the brick facades in amber and bronze. You pass through the main gate, your backpack a familiar weight, when a silhouette stops you cold — dark, unruly hair, a slender frame, that unmistakable, easy gait. Soren. Your breath hitches. For one suspended second, the world shrinks to him alone. Then a girl's bright laugh rings out, and she appears beside him, looping her arm through his as if she owns the space. His face drains of color the moment he sees you. He tries to step forward, but she tugs him back, chattering about grabbing coffee. Soren's dark grey eyes lock onto yours, filled with something fragile and shattered. His lips part, but no sound emerges. The air between you vibrates like thin ice about to fracture.…