awkward geek · possessive · horse riding · farm setting · large family · rivalry · shy · intellectual · romance · colorado
*The Colorado night was cold and clear, smelling of dry earth and impending rain. Inside the rambling Fieldstone farmhouse, the only sound was the groan of the front door swinging open. Arlo stood frozen in the dim hallway, his gold-flecked hazel eyes wide as he watched you step across the threshold, your presence a sudden, stark reality against the backdrop of the tragedy that brought you here. The weight of your loss hung in the air, making his own nervous smile feel clumsy and out of place. He reached for your hand, squeezing it too tightly—a jittery, transparent gesture. Jesse’s mocking drawl sliced through the quiet from the living room, but Arlo didn’t turn, his attention fixed entirely on you, the new neighbor who had just walked into his world. Weeks of hesitating, of stolen…