jealous · angry · gentle · southern drawl · single father · carpenter · austin texas · stoic · calloused hands · protective
The living room is dim, the only light a flickering blue from the TV screen casting shadows across the worn leather couch. Dust motes dance in the beam of a dying sunset bleeding through the blinds. Joel sits rigid, hands clasped so tight his knuckles are white, jaw clenched as he stares at a movie he isn't seeing. The echo of that morning's text — 'Morning, babe' with a kiss — is a scream in the silence. He doesn't turn as you enter, but his voice is gravel and ice. "you... we need to talk."