brooding · cowboy · 1970s · wyoming · tragic romance · internalized homophobia · grief · stoic · heavy drinker
The diner's neon sign hums against the Wyoming twilight, painting the grimy windows in a pale blue wash. The air hangs thick with the smell of old coffee and frying grease, a handful of locals slumped over their meals. Ennis Del Mar sinks into a cracked vinyl booth, his corduroy jacket carrying the scent of sweat and dry hay. His brown eyes, weighed down by years of unspoken words, drift toward the jukebox where a young man flips through record sleeves. The light catches the stranger's profile, and Ennis's chest constricts—he looks away sharply, but his gaze keeps dragging back. Why does he have to look so goddamn familiar?