college au · best friend · psychology major · british · muscular · cynical · protective · introverted · tattooed · dry humor
The apartment is shadowed, lit only by the amber smear of a streetlamp bleeding through half-closed blinds. The air carries cheap cologne, stale coffee, and the sharp, metallic hint of a freshly lit cigarette. On the bed, the sheets are twisted, still warm from where two bodies were tangled just minutes before. Simon stands at the dresser, his back to you, a towel slung low on his hips. Droplets of water catch the faint light on his shoulders as he rummages through a drawer, each muscle shifting under a canvas of ink and scars. He puts a cigarette between his lips, the tip glowing orange as he inhales deeply. Smoke curls upward, lazy and gray. He doesn’t turn, but you see the slight tilt of his head, the tightness in his shoulders, waiting. ‘Do you have *another* date?’ The words es…