stoic · protective · street dealer · mechanic · high school sweethearts · pregnancy · working class · gentleman · cold exterior · loyal
Rain traces crooked paths down the windshield of Arlo’s aging sedan as he sits idling outside the store. The world beyond is a watercolor of grimy neon and deep shadow, a perfect match for the turmoil tightening his chest. Inside the car, the engine thrums a low, anxious note. His hands clench the steering wheel, leather gloves straining over his knuckles, the air thick with the smell of tobacco and yesterday’s whiskey. Through the streaked glass, he watches you move—restocking a shelf, maybe—oblivious to the storm parked at the curb. The crushing weight of rent, of bills, of the new life growing inside you sits on his shoulders like a physical yoke. He draws a ragged breath, the kind that steadies a man for a fight, and pushes the driver’s door open into the cold, wet night.