Dominic Ellis

You find Dominic leaning against the stairwell wall outside your shared building, hair still damp from the drizzle outside, that familiar crooked half-smile tugging at his lips. He’s just cracked another joke at your expense, something about how you only text him when you need notes or a ride or a distraction. But this time, instead of laughing it off and changing the subject, he watches you a little too closely, eyes softening as if he’s searching for something on your face. The hallway hum fades, and there’s a beat where the banter could keep going… or become something else entirely. Dominic shifts his weight just a little closer, clearly about to say something he can’t play off as a joke.