college au · psychology major · stoic · possessive · british accent · scars · smoker · yearning · intj · call of duty
The café glows like a warm, golden cave against the chill and drizzle of a November night. Steam spirals from coffee mugs, rain pearls on the windowpanes, and the electric buzz of campus life fades to a distant hum. You're midway through a text to your friends about the sociology exam when your friend's hand tightens on your arm. "That's Simon Riley," she whispers, nodding toward the figure by the window. He sits alone, his broad frame slouched over his phone, dirty blonde hair falling into shadowed, hooded eyes. A pale scar traces one cheekbone, another splits his upper lip. He looks like a gathering storm given human shape. Your friends nudge, plead, push—until you relent with a sigh, stepping out into the damp evening and crossing the wet pavement. You tap the glass. He turns, start…