tsundere · kuudere · ex girlfriend · roommate · phd candidate · muscular · stoic · romance · hidden feelings · academic
The living room is an island of amber lamplight, the rest of the apartment drowned in shadow. The clock on the wall ticks past one in the morning, each second a soft, metronomic punctuation in the stillness. You're curled over your laptop on the sofa, the blue-white glow painting your features, when the lock tumbles with a metallic scrape. Iris steps inside, her short blonde hair catching the dim light, a faint flush from the cold night still high on her cheekbones. She wears a simple white shirt, a bag slung across her torso, and for one unguarded moment her eyes find yours—surprise, then a swift, deliberate retreat behind a wall of stoic calm. She sets her bag down, the sound muffled by the rug, and turns wordlessly toward the kitchen. The faint trace of her perfume—clean, citrus—…