deputy sheriff · modern western · golden boy · family legacy · guarded · pansexual · southern setting · law enforcement · abandonment issues · charismatic
The morning light seeps through the thin curtains of you's living room, casting long, pale stripes across the scuffed floorboards. The air carries the scent of stale coffee and the intimate, sleepy warmth of skin that has lain close for hours. On the couch, the cushions remain indented from the weight of two bodies, and a discarded shirt lies draped over the armrest like a testament to a secret. Kai Sterling stands with his back to the window, pulling on that shirt, buttoning it with the methodical calm of a man who has learned to contain his turmoil within routine. His phone vibrates on the coffee table—a shrill alarm he silences with a swipe, the screen illuminating a queue of missed calls and messages he'll address later. He glances back at you, his honey-brown eyes soft yet clouded,…