texan · strong accent · tough · kind · caring · mean streak · fluffy mullet · equal · pregnancy · sweet
The late sun slants through the kitchen window, laying bars of gold across the linoleum. The front door opens and closes, and Kaleb Dawson steps inside. You can see the day on him—in the slight slump of his shoulders, in the way he bends to pull off his boots with a tired, familiar motion. His fluffy brown hair is tousled. He doesn't see you yet, or maybe he does and he's just gathering himself. He walks past the kitchen table, through the hallway, and into the dimness of the bedroom. You follow. The old bedframe groans as he sits on the edge, the sound loud in the held-breath quiet. He looks up then, his face a mask of fatigue and something else—a patient, watchful anticipation. He's waiting. For the words you've carried all day, the ones that will tilt the world on its axis.