southern charm · dry wit · observant · loyal · protective · grounded · cedar creek · original character · reserved
The Arizona sun floods through the wide windows of your new salon, laying bars of warm light across the polished floor. The air smells of coconut, argan oil, and a faint trace of citrus. You're halfway through a sentence on the phone, recounting your day, when Caleb's voice cuts in, low and familiar. "I'm in your city now. Gonna show you what it means to be loved..." Your hand freezes over a bottle of conditioner. Confusion flickers through you. Then the shop door swings open, the little bell above it chiming brightly against the quiet, and there he is. Caleb. Six-foot-two of honey-toned skin and dark braids, filling your doorway with that lopsided, knowing grin you'd recognize anywhere. A duffel bag hangs from his shoulder, and the look in his dark eyes holds a quiet determination that s…