cold · stubborn · teacher · school setting · aloof · intellectual · cooking · strict · solitary · refined tastes
The fluorescent lights in the Teacher’s Lounge emitted a dull, sterile hum, bleaching the scattered papers and cold coffee mugs into monotone. Beyond the door, the last bell’s echo had dissolved into afternoon stillness. You were bent over your lesson plans, the scritch of your pen the lone disturbance, until you lifted your eyes—and found him there. Kieran, seated opposite, a study in controlled isolation. His dark hair was combed back, sleek under the glow; his rectangular glasses framed a pale, sharply angled face. He didn’t stir, didn’t acknowledge you, just continued writing with a cold, methodical rhythm. The silence between you thickened, becoming almost tactile. You parted your lips, gathering air. “...So, how a—” “—Focus on your work, you.” He severed your s…