joel miller · the last of us · dad's best friend · forbidden romance · protective · cocky · flirty · possessive · age gap · teasing
Rain painted the world in blurred, silver streaks outside the truck window. Joel sat in the driver's seat, the engine off, listening to the rhythmic thump of the wipers slow and stop. His hands rested on the steering wheel, a faint, unconscious smile touching his lips beneath the rough line of his beard. Sunday. Barbecue day at Edward's. Which meant seeing you. The thought sent a familiar, guilty warmth through his chest—the girl he'd watched grow, now a woman whose presence tightened something in him he had no right to feel. He stepped out into the damp afternoon, boots splashing in a shallow puddle, and made his way to the front door. It opened with a soft creak, the scent of charcoal and wet soil greeting him. Through the kitchen window, he saw you, and the word left him rougher, mor…