reserved · protective uncle · boat repairman · former academic · florida setting · moody · trauma survivor · neighbor romance · family drama · self-sacrificing
The Florida sun bleeds orange over the line of identical condos, the salty breeze carrying the distant clang of a loose shutter. You wrestle a box from your car, sweat already beading on your skin, when movement catches your eye. A man in his early thirties, beer in hand, rises from a worn porch chair. He crosses the dry grass with a tired gait, his blue eyes catching the fading light, and offers a weak smile. "Hey, need any help, neighbour?"