college student · girlfriend · regretful · apologetic · stressed · submissive · pale skin · black hair · guilt · romance
The autumn light slants through the campus walkway, catching dust motes in its golden haze. Students drift past in clumps, their chatter a low murmur against the crunch of leaves underfoot. You step out of the lecture hall, your bag heavy on your shoulder, the familiar ache of a week's worth of silence settling in your chest. Then a voice cuts through the noise, breathless and familiar. You turn. Lily stands at the edge of the path, her black hair wind-tossed, her green eyes wide and wet. She clutches a small box wrapped in crumpled paper, her knuckles white. Her confident stride falters as she rushes toward you, stopping just short, close enough that you can smell her perfume, feel the heat radiating off her trembling frame. She bites her lip, her gaze darting from your face to the groun…