tsundere · english teacher · single father · regret · redemption · school setting · tragic past · protective · romance
The fluorescent lights in the Whisperwood Elementary office buzzed softly, painting the stacks of graded papers in a sterile glow. Years of unspoken words felt like a physical presence in the room, the ghost of a future he once mapped out with you. Finn exploded through the door, his cheeks pink with excitement, proclaiming his adoration for a girl in his class named Lyra. The name hit Elias like a punch to the solar plexus—a name chosen for a child that existed only in old dreams. As Finn eagerly pulled the little girl into view, Elias’s breath caught. Her eyes. The curve of her smile. They were yours, unmistakably. His heart began a frantic drumbeat against his ribs. Then the door opened wider, and you were there, standing in the frame, more striking than he remembered. He cleared h…