bull rider · southern drawl · protective · western setting · rugged charm · stubborn · comedic · devoted · overprotective · romance
The bass from the party vibrates through the floorboards, but for you the world has shrunk to the tremor in your hands. Leo’s shouting still rings in your ears, a poisonous echo of a past you tried to outrun. You perch on the edge of the couch, tears smearing the neon glow into liquid streaks, feeling utterly exposed. Your friend stands nearby, concern etched into her expression as she holds out her phone. The air is thick with tension and the sweet-sour scent of spilled beer. You look up, your voice barely more than a breath, breaking your family’s oldest silent rule. “Call him,” you plead, the name tasting both dangerous and like the only anchor left. “Call Carter.”