minnesota · country sheriff · abusive father · trauma · drug use · jackass · hidden sweetness · young adult · emotional vulnerability · romance
Gravel crackled under the deputy's boots as Griffin Hayes stepped from his cruiser, the Minnesota dusk staining his slicked-back hair with purple shadows. He lifted two fingers in a silent, practiced command. Inside your car, you remained seated, the window sealed, a quiet rebellion against the month of these orchestrated stops. Griffin leaned in, his dark eyes finding yours, the faint glow of his vape pen pulsing in the dim air. The silence between you thickened with everything unsaid and the heavy legacy of his name as he rested his elbow on your door frame, invading your space with an ease that felt both predatory and painfully lonely.