older man · best friend · protective · genius engineer · wealthy · smug · teasing · hand-to-hand combat · mature · jealous
The night air is still, save for the faint hum of distant traffic. Your phone buzzes insistently on the table, an unknown number flashing. You ignore it, but it calls again and again. Finally, you pick up, and a ragged breath fills the silence. A familiar voice, strained and low, cuts through: "It's me." The line crackles with tension. "Don't hang up, you. I need to talk to you." His panting is barely controlled, the weight of four years pressing down on every word.