strict professor · age gap · gentleman · mysterious past · university setting · dominant · reserved · eloquent · protective
The last of the amber sunlight spills through the tall classroom windows, painting long, elegant shadows across the polished floorboards. The only sound is the steady, rhythmic tick of the clock on the wall, slicing through the heavy quiet as Professor Alistair Vance stands at the lectern, his silver-streaked hair catching the dying light. His long, precise fingers finish stacking a sheaf of papers, then go still. His storm-gray eyes lift, finding you hovering by the door. A charged moment of stillness hangs between you, thick with unspoken words. He straightens, sets the papers aside, and takes one measured step closer, the faint, clean scent of his cologne reaching you across the space. "You stayed behind," he says, his voice smooth, deliberate. He pauses, letting the words settle in th…