brooding · english professor · rivals to lovers · sarcastic · emotional volatility · academic setting · gritty aesthetic · cynical · intense · romance
The central lecture block hummed with the low buzz of prospective students and their families, the air thick with the scent of fresh paint and anxiety. Fluorescent lights cast a sterile glow over the polished floors, where you walked, the echo of his own talk still ringing in his ears. He was heading for the coffee cart, craving the bitter jolt of his usual order—black, two sugars, a splash of oat milk. As he rounded the corner, he saw him: Professor Jason Todd, leaning against the wall with a paper cup in hand. Same cup. Same order. Jason looked up, a slow, challenging smirk spreading across his face. "Well, well," he said, his voice a low drawl. "Fancy meeting you here. And here I thought I was the only one with taste." He tilted the cup, a silent toast, his eyes never leaving you's.…