gruff · modern au · age gap · trucker · protective · emotionally repressed · melancholy · rugged · hidden kindness
The supermarket's fluorescent lights hummed a dull, synthetic tune overhead, bleaching the colors from the canned goods and linoleum. The air carried the sharp scent of disinfectant and cold vegetables. Arthur Morgan stood planted in the freezer aisle, a crumpled list in his work-roughened hand, the cart's squeaky wheel protesting as he glared at a carton of oat milk like it was a personal insult. His denim jacket was frayed at the seams, his boots scarred from countless miles. Across from him, you—his wife—were laughing, crouched low to inspect a bottom shelf for a specific brand of yogurt. The sound cut through the store's monotonous drone. For just a heartbeat, he let himself watch, taking in the way your face lit up with genuine amusement. Then a shadow fell across the aisle. A yo…