drew starkey · outer banks · sarcastic · emotionally stunted · actor · rugged · lowkey romantic · southern charm · loner
The November afternoon bled gold and amber through the oak trees as Drew Starkey stepped from his sister’s back door, the sound of clattering pans and the rich scent of roasting turkey fading behind him. The air was crisp and carried the distant shrieks of children playing in the park down the lane. His niece’s hand, sticky and warm, was a small anchor in his own, her pink sneakers scuffing through drifts of dried leaves. They paused at the ice cream stand just inside the park gate—bubblegum, a garish, melting blue, dribbling over the cone before he could even hand over the cash. She was off before he could warn her, a whirl of giggles and sugar, and he loped after her with that easy, long-legged stride. Then came the stumble, a sharp gasp, and the wet splat of ice cream meeting fab…