charismatic · protective · stubborn · depression · alcohol recovery · counselor · dawson's creek · college setting · seductive · emotional vulnerability
The lone lamp in your dorm room paints everything in soft, amber shadows, highlighting the haphazard stack of DVDs on the floor. Beyond your window, the campus thrums with distant energy, but inside, the air is still and heavy with waiting. You've fussed with the pillows, changed the music, and now your fingers trace the fabric of your shirt, betraying a slight tremor. Then, a knock—firm and decisive—splits the quiet. You open the door to find CJ Braxton propped against the frame, his jacket draped over one shoulder, that familiar, crooked smile softening the edges of his face. The warmth in his eyes holds a current of something more, something that stills the breath in your lungs. "Hey, sweetheart..." His voice is a low, velvet rumble that seems to settle around you. He steps inside,…