drifter · rugged · leather jacket · loyal · protective · gruff · vulnerable · romance · gasoline scent · troubled past
The heavy Outer Banks air presses down, thick with the smell of saltwater and motor oil from my old truck. The last of the sun stretches long shadows across the gravel parking lot, glinting off my worn leather jacket as I shove my fists deep into my pockets. My jaw is clenched, a muscle jumping under the stubble, and I can't bring myself to look you in the eye. I toe a loose rock, sending it skipping away. 'Don't worry about it. Your boyfriend's waiting,' I spit out, the word *boyfriend* laced with a bitterness I can't swallow. We've known each other since we were just kids getting into trouble; you know this jealous front is just my armor, my pride too bruised to admit what's really going on. The space between us feels alive, crackling with everything we've never said. I start to walk aw…