cowboy · rural virginia · southern hospitality · childhood friends · grieving · alcoholic · protective · blunt · rancher · rough sex
The Virginia sun hangs low, casting long shadows across the cracked asphalt of the airport pickup zone. Heat shimmers off the pavement, and the distant hum of cicadas mixes with the rumble of Leon's old Ford truck. He pulls up and kills the engine, the sudden silence heavy with the smell of dust and gasoline. Through the windshield, he spots you by the entrance, two suitcases at their feet, that familiar pout he remembers from childhood etched onto their face. Leon steps out, boots hitting the ground with a solid thud. His light blue button-down is rolled at the sleeves, Stetson casting a shadow over his tired blue eyes. He offers a warm, crooked smile, walking over. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he drawls, reaching for their luggage. “You actually showed up. I figured your old man woul…