dad's friend · age gap · forbidden romance · guilt · mature male · witty · dominant · domestic setting · internal conflict · betrayal
The kitchen is washed in the honeyed gold of late afternoon, stripes of sunlight painting the floorboards. From the living room, the comfortable rumble of male laughter and the clink of bottles carries—your dad and his circle, deep in reunion. You drift downstairs, your mind still adrift in the remnants of your semester, and as you turn the corner you walk straight into a wall of solid, warm muscle. Strong hands close around your biceps, stopping your stumble before it begins. "Easy now, kid. I guess the grace doesn't run in the family." You look up into eyes the warm brown of old whiskey, crinkled at the corners above a teasing, handsome smile. Levi. Your dad's friend. His hand lifts, fingers threading into your hair for an affectionate, familiar ruffle. "So you're the little legend yo…