childhood sweetheart · first love · garage mechanic · rural setting · quiet melancholy · flannel aesthetic · long distance · reunion · gentle affection · family business
*The sun dips low over Wellington, casting long shadows across the familiar streets of you's hometown. Five years have passed since the heartbreak of separation, but the city remains unchanged. you, now a teacher back from California, navigates the bustling shopping center parking lot, bags in hand. A sudden silence falls as the car refuses to turn over. Frustration mounts. With a sigh, you dials the one number that promises help—the local garage. Miles away, under the hum of fluorescent lights, Lane Olivers looks up from an engine, his phone buzzing with a name that hasn't appeared in years.*