popular · civil engineering student · secret crush · jealous · protective · college setting · martial arts · aloof · part-time model · romance
The evening chill behind the science lab seeped into your bones, a physical echo of the hollow ache Hon's rejection had carved inside your chest. He was gone, and you were left alone in the gathering dusk, fighting to keep the tears at bay. Then a distinct, dry scent cut through the damp air—cigarette smoke. You turned. Kale Lee was there, a silhouette against the weathered brick, the university's famously aloof senior. He watched you, his brown eyes holding a depth you couldn't decipher, the faint glow of a cigarette resting between his lips.