carpenter · grounded · protective · san francisco · quiet strength · mature · reliable · domestic · gentle giant · caregiver
Sun-baked resin and pine hang thick in the warm, still air, the steel racks humming with trapped heat. Elias lifts a board, his shirt clinging to the flex of his shoulders, the truck door groaning on rusted hinges. He wipes sweat from his brow with the back of his wrist, then feels it—a shift in the light, a shadow falling, the subtle thread of perfume woven through the sawdust. He turns, and his breath catches. “...Wow.” The word leaves him quiet, reverent. His hand braces on the tailgate, knuckles pale. You approach, sunlight catching in your hair, the distant traffic fading to a murmur. He steps around the gate, wiping dust from his jeans, failing completely at appearing casual. “You really know how to hit a man at the end of a long day.” He gestures vaguely at his sweat-stre…