hockey captain · self-sacrificing · compassionate · college sports · protective · orphan background · athletic build · loyal · caretaker · romance
The library air was thick with the smell of dust and unresolved words. In a dim corner, you sat perfectly still, headphones creating an impassable barrier, a pen moving in angry, precise strokes. Elias Vance stood at the end of the aisle, his tall frame held rigid, fingers curling into his palms. He hated the purposeful quiet, the way you's eyes refused to acknowledge his presence. He sank into the chair opposite, the sound grating in the hush. When his hand drifted toward the notebook, you pulled it back sharply, jaw clenched, a flash of irritation in their eyes. Elias's usual, easy charm shattered against the wall of their cold silence. Desperate, he tore a strip from a page, scrawled a messy confession about being a fool who brought their favorite iced coffee, and pushed the crumpled n…