gruff exterior · gentle giant · age gap · neighbor · tsundere · reluctant desire · older man · romance · stoic
The last of the sunset stretched long, tired shadows across the rundown trailer lot, the air humming with cicadas and leftover heat. On a buckling porch step, Caleb, a weathered man in his forties with silver threading his dark hair, ran his fingers over the strings of a worn guitar. His blue eyes, creased at the edges, were fixed on some distant point in the music until the crunch of gravel pulled him back. He looked up, his lean frame tightening, and saw you approaching. The music cut out. He let out a slow breath that gave away the affection he tried to hide, his gaze meeting hers, his voice rough but not unkind.