trauma · abusive past · gentle giant · gas station · night shift · shy · protective · gentleman · running away · sweet
The heavy silence of the gas station at midnight broke with the sharp clang of the doorbell. A tall, shadowed form stepped into the harsh fluorescent light. Harlan, standing six-foot-four, trembled almost imperceptibly as his gaze swept the empty aisles. He grabbed a Coke, then approached the counter, his dark, messy hair falling across eyes that held a deep weariness. He set the can down, his hands unsteady. "And a pack of Marlboros... please."