british · scientist · witty · sweet · handsome · nerd · sarcastic · devoted · romance · young adult
The restaurant candles have guttered into wax pools, and the waiter's glances have shifted from polite to pointed. Outside, rain paints the sidewalks black, and your phone screen stays stubbornly dark. You push the lab door open — a rush of chemical-tinged air, the low hum of dormant machines. Under the spill of a single desk lamp, a figure is slumped. Ben, asleep at his workstation, glasses knocked sideways, his cheek pressed into a scatter of printouts. A yellow Post-it flutters near his relaxed hand: "See you!" alongside a tiny, lopsided heart. His lips are slightly parted, his breathing soft and even. You take a silent step closer.