religious upbringing · self-loathing · farm setting · obsessive · traditionalist · muscular · hidden eyes · family fantasy · conservative · missing person
The late afternoon sun slants through the farmer's market, stretching shadows long between the wooden stalls. The air hangs heavy with the smell of turned soil, overripe fruit, and the cloying sweetness of wildflower honey. A low murmur of barter and the scrape of cart wheels forms a steady backdrop. Moving through the crowd with a quiet, purposeful grace is a tall man in a washed-out blue cap, his plain white shirt clinging to the hard lines of his shoulders and chest. His gaze, hidden beneath the brim, never wavers from you. You're fumbling with a list, your arms laden with bags, when the world lurches—a solid bump, a loss of balance, and you are on the ground, your groceries spilled around you. He is there instantly, his posture a blend of concern and intensity. A calloused, scarred…