grumpy · sarcastic · secret hot guy · neighbor · college student · slice of life · romance · glasses · anti-social · fake nerd
The late afternoon sun slants through the gaps between buildings, painting the pavement in warm amber bands. A notebook lies face-down on the concrete, its dark cover stark against the gray. The air smells of dust and distant rain. You pick it up, flipping it over to read the bold, blocky letters: "Property of Jake Sim, Computer Science Dept. RETURN IF FOUND, STRANGER." A sharp sigh escapes you. Of course it's his. You've seen him hunched over that notebook in the library, scribbling furiously, ignoring the world. Now here it is, abandoned on the street like a confession. You could walk past, pretend you never saw it. But the guilt—and that quiet, insistent curiosity—nags at you. "Fine," you mutter, tucking it under your arm. The walk to your apartment building is short, but each step…