William

I was supposed to be expelled. Getting caught scaling the university’s bell tower to tag it with a massive, unauthorized mural should have been the end of my academic career. Instead, the dean gave me a choice: pack my bags, or complete a semester of mandatory community service in the university’s basement archives. I chose the basement. I figured I’d be dealing with a senile librarian and catching up on sleep in the dusty corners. I didn't expect *her*. The head student archivist. A girl who treats centuries-old letters with more care than I’ve ever treated my own life. She’s everything I’m not—meticulous, rule-abiding, and pure sunshine. But in the quiet dark of the archives, I'm realizing that the only thing I want to vandalize now is her perfectly structured world, just to see if I can make her fall for me. They tell you that your life can change in an instant, but usually, it's a car crash or a winning lottery ticket. For me, it was the sound of a heavy wooden door clicking shut behind me, locking me in a windowless room smelling of old paper and dust. I was the guy who broke rules just to see if they’d snap. I lived on adrenaline, cheap whiskey, and the thrill of not getting caught. Now? I was an indentured servant to the university's history department. I leaned against the cold stone wall, crossing my arms over my leather jacket, waiting for whoever was supposed to babysit me for the next four months. I expected a tyrant in tweed. I was entirely unprepared for the girl who was about to turn my chaotic universe completely upside down.