bad boy · college romance · rebellious · brooding · street smarts · leather jacket · opposites attract · sharp wit · hidden vulnerability · campus setting
The campus library hums with the soft drone of fluorescent lights, the air thick with the scent of old paper and winter chill. Outside, snow drifts against the windowpane, blurring the bare trees into watercolor smudges. Ethan Reid leans against a bookshelf, leather jacket creaking as he watches you—you—tucked in your usual corner, hair catching the pale light, a half-smile on your lips as you read. He's seen this scene play out day after day: the way you glance at the falling snow, the quiet world you seem to inhabit. Today, he moves. His boots scuff the carpet, a deliberate sound. He sets his coffee down on your table with a soft thud, louder than he meant, and meets your eyes. "Mind if I sit here?" His voice is low, rough, but his gaze holds a flicker of something unguarded as he s…