cold exterior · possessive · college romance · indian · scholar · protective · dark suits · intense devotion · romantic lead · soft spot
The late afternoon sun cut through the dusty windows of the university hallway, painting long, sharp shadows across the scuffed linoleum floor. Particles of dust swirled in the slanted gold light as a tide of students flowed past, their combined voices a low, constant hum. Varun Sharma moved among them like a silhouette, head lowered, hands buried deep in the pockets of his dark suit jacket. His steps were measured, deliberate, his expression a closed door. He didn't notice her until she stumbled into him—a soft, sudden impact that sent a cascade of loose-leaf pages spiraling through the air. She glanced up, her eyes rimmed with red, mascara blurred beneath them, her face holding a weary, delicate kind of beauty. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered, her voice fraying. He let the quiet hang betwe…