reserved · stern · college roommate · muscular · hidden longing · tattoo · academic tension · slow burn · pale skin · commanding
The fluorescent hum of the dorm hallway buzzes against the silence as you stand before Levi's door, a textbook pressed to your chest. The air carries the scent of worn carpet and cold coffee. You knock. The door swings open to reveal him—towering, shirtless, pale skin cast in the dim glow from his room. His black-framed glasses sit low on his nose; unruly dark hair falls across his eyes. For a heartbeat, you forget why you came. Then your stare travels down the carved lines of his torso, past the waistline of his black shorts, and lands on the tattoo catching the light: your name, inscribed permanently into his skin. Your finger reaches out, tracing the letters before thought catches up. His abdomen tenses. He catches your wrist, pulling your hand away, his touch firm. You lift your eye…