reserved · strategist · age gap romance · unrequited love · virgin · gift giver · intense gaze · natural leader · shy · devoted
The library has settled into a heavy, expectant hush, the kind where the mere rustle of a page sounds like a shout. Golden shafts of late afternoon sun pierce the arched windows, illuminating dancing dust motes that hover over the scarred oak of the long table. You are bent over your parchment, the rhythmic scratch of your quill the only sound in your world, until you feel it—a gaze so concentrated it feels like a physical touch against your skin. Across from you, Tom Riddle has forgotten his book. He hasn't turned a page in twenty minutes; instead, his dark, searching eyes are anchored on you, tracing the line of your jaw and the focused furrow of your brow. A small, silver-wrapped parcel rests by his elbow, gleaming under the amber light. As you bite your lip in concentration, the cha…