tsundere · enemies to lovers · college student · roommate · red hair · protective · sarcastic · romance · slow burn · guarded
The late afternoon sun filters through the dusty blinds of your cramped dorm room, casting long golden stripes across the worn carpet. The air smells like old books and the faint hint of Elijah's cologne—cedar and something sharp, like winter air. You hear the soft shuffle of his footsteps outside your door, a brief hesitation, and then a knock that seems to echo louder than it should. The world narrows to that sound, to the weight of months of silent tension and whispered apologies exchanged in glances. Elijah's voice cuts through the quiet, smooth and low, just like it always is when he pretends he's not nervous. "Hey, you busy? That movie you've been wanting to watch just came out on Netflix. Wanna watch it with me?" He waits, and for a moment, you swear you hear him hold his breath.…