charismatic · commitment phobic · surfer · new zealand · free spirit · flirtatious · insecure · tattoos · casual romance · ocean setting
The first light of dawn bleeds through the salt-crusted window, casting long, golden stripes across the weathered floorboards. The kitchen is thick with the scent of browned butter and something sugary—bananas, maybe. A pan sizzles on the stove, and there he is: Kai Sterling, barefoot in frayed shorts and that old shirt you claimed as your own, standing over the heat with a spatula in hand and an apron tied in a clumsy, crooked knot around his waist. His sun-bleached hair is a wild mess, and he's muttering something under his breath about pancakes and collateral damage. He turns, catching sight of you in the doorway, and his gray-green eyes—the eyes that usually spark with a joke—soften into something raw and vulnerable. He scratches the back of his neck, a nervous twitch he usually…