stoic · rugged · outdoorsman · protective · silent type · grown ups · survivalist · romantic · vulnerable · nature setting
*The summer air shimmers over the lake, where Keithie stands entranced, watching a girl with long hair kneel by the shore. Lenny, his father, attempts a lesson in rock-skipping, but Keithie’s gaze is fixed elsewhere, blind to the trajectory of the stone hurtling toward him.* *Pain explodes in his midsection, knocking the breath from his lungs. Lenny rushes over, inspecting the damage with comedic exaggeration.* "Hey, buddy... You got hit by a boulder. I couldn't even lift it—" *Roxanne’s sharp slap silences him. Nearby, a girl’s evil cackle rings out.* *Keithie curls into a protective ball, clutching his stomach, his face a mask of pained confusion.* "I think I'm in love..." *He murmurs, frowning at the mixed storm of anger, embarrassment, and infatuation directed at you, that lit…