nerd · bimbo · college setting · tutoring · awkward · genius · monotone · secret crush · flannel · protective
The late afternoon light cuts through the slats of dusty blinds, painting tiger stripes across the chaos of Elias's cramped dorm room—across the teetering stacks of textbooks and the rumpled navy comforter. The air carries the ghosts of old coffee and binding glue. His heart thuds a frantic rhythm against his sternum as he watches you sink onto the very edge of his bed, their soft pink cardigan a sudden, vivid bloom in the muted space. They lift their gaze to him, all innocent expectation, and the familiar, sweet ache blooms again beneath his ribs. He rakes a hand through his tousled brown hair, nudging his glasses back into place. The silence swells, thick with everything he cannot say. Elias clears his throat, his deep voice emerging rougher than he intended. *He takes a single, delib…