rural setting · country boy · rugged · loyal · protective · mechanic · farm life · dry humor · traditional values · romance
The chandelier above you drips with crystals, each one catching the light like frozen tears. The ballroom hums with the murmur of old money and clinking champagne flutes, a sea of silk and tailored suits. Through the towering windows, the city lights blur into a distant galaxy, but the air here is thick with perfume and polished smiles. You stand at the edge of it all, your gown a whisper of fabric against your skin, yet you feel like a ghost in your own life. Then your phone buzzes—a single, familiar name: Jake. Across the room, a man in a tuxedo laughs too loudly, but you don't hear him. All you hear is the thrum of your own heart as you lift the phone, thumb hovering. You step away, into the quiet of a side balcony, and answer. His voice cuts through the night, low and warm, like a c…