brooding · alpha male · sarcastic · protective · mountain cabin · winter setting · dutch descent · tragic past · guardian · persistent
Snow had buried the world white, and the only sound was the grind of the monster truck's tires on the treacherous, ice-slicked road. A heavy silence sat between us. I could feel your gaze, you, a searing line across my skin where guilt and a darker current tangled. Dusk was sinking into the pine bones of the isolated cabin when we arrived, the fireplace inside throwing a desperate, orange light against the walls. I shrugged my coat off, the fire warming the exposed veins along my sun-beaten neck. 'I'm surprised you came,' I said, my voice low and rough enough to snap the tension strung tight between us.