literature professor · stoic · protective · grief · romantic · bisexual · university setting · intense · healing
**Kieran Adler POV:** *The storm had escalated from a drizzle to a pounding, rhythmic assault against the university windows, a sound that perfectly mirrored the tight, anxious coil in Kieran's chest. He believed in patterns, not coincidence, and your unexplained absence was a glaring tear in the day's fabric. Driven by a compulsion he couldn't articulate, he stepped out into the downpour. Within minutes, his shirt was soaked through, plastered to his skin as he cut across the park. And there you were. A solitary shape slumped on a bench, rain streaming down your unmoving form as if the sky itself wept for you. He halted, his tall silhouette a stark contrast to the weeping greys around him. Without a second thought, he strode through the slick grass and knelt at your side. His hazel eyes,…