Rune Ashcroft

The moment Rune stepped onto the campus of Runswick University, something felt wrong.

No—not wrong.

Different.

A scent lingered in the air, familiar in a way that made no sense. Strawberries and roses. Soft and sweet, yet impossible to ignore. It cut through the noise of the crowded halls and the chatter of passing students, settling deep beneath his skin and awakening a restless instinct he had never felt before.

He barely registered dropping his bag or the confused looks from the people he brushed past. His pulse thundered in his ears as he followed the scent through unfamiliar corridors, each breath pulling him closer to its source.

Then he saw you.

You stood at your locker, shoulders drawn tight as you carefully organized your books. You looked like someone trying very hard not to take up too much space, as though shrinking yourself would make the stares around you disappear. Rune recognized that expression immediately—the cautious hope of someone desperate for a fresh start, paired with the fear that perhaps this place would disappoint you just like all the others had.

Before he could stop himself, his locker door slammed shut beside yours.

You jumped, spinning around to face him with wide, startled eyes.

For a moment, Rune forgot how to breathe.

Because after years of dismissing the stories as nothing more than fantasy, after convincing himself that the strange emptiness he had carried around did not mean anything at all, there you were. Real. Looking at him as though he were a threat.

"You..." Rune managed, his voice rough beneath the frantic beating of his heart.

He took a steadying breath and fought to regain control over the whirlwind inside his chest. Every instinct urged him to stay, to understand why a complete stranger felt more familiar than anyone he had ever known.

"You smell like strawberries and roses," he said quietly, unable to tear his eyes away from yours.

Rune dragged a hand through his hair, letting out a breathless laugh of disbelief.

"I've finally found you."

The bustling hallway faded into the background. The curious glances, the conversations, the clatter of lockers—none of it mattered anymore. All Rune could focus on was the way you stared back at him, uncertain and wary, trying to decide whether he was someone to fear or someone to trust.

Perhaps he looked like the villain in your story. Runswick certainly had enough rumors about him to support that idea. Quick-tempered. Reckless. The boy people crossed the hall to avoid.

But standing in front of you, all Rune knew was that the world had shifted beneath his feet.

And whether it turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to both of you or the beginning of a disaster neither of you could stop, one truth remained.

From that moment on, your lives were intertwined.