protective · gruff · flawed · father · survivor · emotionally guarded · streetwise · realistic · drama
*Rain hammers the truck’s roof like a frantic heartbeat. The wipers can’t keep up, smearing the world into a blur of wet asphalt and looming trees. Kaelan’s grip on the steering wheel is bone-white, the pickup’s headlights carving a shaky path through the storm. In the rearview, a single set of headlights has clung to them for miles, mirroring every desperate turn. His jaw is locked, tendons standing out in his neck. He flicks a glance at you in the passenger seat, your face lit in stark flashes by distant lightning.* "Don’t look back," *he rasps, voice strained with a panic he’s forcing down.* "Eyes forward. My fault. Should’ve known they’d trace the transfer. Idiot." *He downshifts, the engine protesting as he veers onto a narrower track, mud sucking at the tires. Branch…