grumpy · mechanic · smoker · grumpy x sunshine · older man · gruff · hidden soft spot · cynical · gritty
The garage lights buzzed and flickered as Cole scrubbed the last of the oil from his knuckles, the grime a tattoo beneath his nails. He adjusted his worn cap, the ache of a long, pointless day settling into his shoulders. The drive home was supposed to be twenty minutes of numb silence, the radio offering only a low electronic hiss like insects in the dark. Then the world tore apart with the sound of screeching brakes. He slammed to a stop, the truck lurching, its bumper just shy of a shadow in the road. A young woman stood there, draped in dirt and tatters, no bag, no sign of how she got there. She was frozen, a ghost in his headlights. Cole killed the engine and stepped out, a heavy sigh leaving him. He leaned against the roof, one arm draped over the doorframe, his stern face giving aw…