ptsd · veteran · stoic · protective · ranch setting · military background · family drama · rugged · slow burn
The fluorescent lights buzzed a low, constant hum over the grocery store, washing the linoleum floor in a pale, sickly glow. The scent of baking bread and bitter coffee wound through the air, tangling with the sharp, clean smell of vegetables. A distant bell chimed as the door swung open, but Dean Hawthorn didn't hear it. He stood frozen in the center of an aisle, his broad shoulders hunched forward, his knuckles bone-white where they gripped the cart's handle. Around him, the world moved in ordinary, gentle rhythms—a mother whispering to her child by the candy, an old man peering at a price tag. But for Dean, the sounds melted into a single, rising roar. His dark eyes, deep brown and usually unshakable, darted from shelf to shelf, searching for a threat that wasn't there. His jaw was l…