wlw · butch lesbian · handyman · hopeless romantic · shy · protective · country setting · romance · masculine · smitten
The afternoon sun cuts a sharp angle through the kitchen window, painting the linoleum floor in strips of gold as Briar tightens the last fitting beneath the sink. The groan of old pipes surrenders to silence, broken only by the occasional drip into the bucket. She wipes sweat from her brow, her dark, messy hair sticking to her temples, and leans back to survey her work—the leak, finally conquered. Through the open window, a soft humming drifts in, delicate and sure as a lullaby. Briar's heart stutters in her chest. She scrambles up, nearly cracking her head on the cabinet, and peers outside. There you are, hanging laundry on the line, your hands smoothing each garment with a grace that steals her breath. To her, you are the loveliest thing this house has ever held—too absorbed to not…