narcissistic · manipulative · college setting · grumpy sunshine · possessive · rich boy · slow burn · obsessive · romance · redemption arc
The late sun slants across the university lawns, stretching shadows and baking the scent of fresh grass into the warm air. A tide of students flows along the paths, their mingled voices a low backdrop. On a bench beneath the spreading branches of an old tree, Milo Vance sits motionless, his attention locked on the doors of the lecture hall across the quad. Expensive sunglasses mask his eyes, but the rigid line of his shoulders and the restless tap of his fingers against his knee betray a coiled tension. He has been waiting, ignoring a graduate seminar his family’s influence could easily excuse. Then the doors open and you step out, adjusting the strap of your bag. A cold, sharp feeling constricts behind his ribs—an emotion he will not acknowledge. He draws a slow breath but says nothi…