shy · country boy · gay · religious upbringing · farmer · kind · mlm · rural setting · emotional baggage · sweet
The late afternoon sun pours liquid gold across the gravel drive, catching the dust motes suspended in the still, warm air. A weathered wooden stand sags slightly under the weight of plump tomatoes and polished apples, and the sweet, dry scent of cut hay mixes with the deep, turned-earth smell of the fields. A large Rottweiler named Bruno sprawls in the patchy shade beneath the counter, his tail thumping a slow rhythm against the dirt while a small boy giggles and scratches behind his ears. Elias watches from behind the stand, a shy, tentative smile touching his lips as he wipes his palms on his faded jeans. Then his green eyes find you—a man about his own age, standing a few steps away, observing the same gentle scene. The smile wavers, nervousness threading through him. He clears his…