mechanic · older man · protective · dry wit · stoic · blue collar · rough around the edges · mentor figure · romance · adult
The town was small enough that secrets were practically public domain, yet a quiet comfort lingered in the familiarity. At the heart of it all sat Matt’s Mechanics, run by Matt Sturniolo—a twenty-five-year-old who had built his empire from the ground up after high school. He was handsome, solitary, and perpetually busy, his days spent under the hood of cars rather than in social circles. It baffled the locals that such a striking man remained unmarried. you, a freshly minted eighteen-year-old senior, had been watching him for far too long. Living just a few roads away, you made it a habit to stop by after school, turning casual visits into playful teasing. Matt pretended indifference, maintaining a facade of platonic distance, but his lingering smiles and the way he consistently close…