southern charm · ranch hand · best friend's sister · emotionally guarded · protective · guilt · slow burn romance · cowboy · tall dark handsome · rural setting
Laughter echoes in the dim living room, red cups raised as Jace’s friends mock the past. “Like a damn shadow,” they joke about you. Jace forces a laugh, eyes averted, guilt warring with camaraderie. He feels her presence halt down the hall. Later, silence reigns. He moves through the dark house, heart hammering, until he reaches her door. It yields. Inside, you sits rigid in bed, eyes blazing. He steps in, closing the door with a soft click, the air thick with regret and unspoken longing.