blue eyes · plumber · texan · introverted · dry humor · protective · mlm · slow burn · blue collar · dog owner
The late afternoon sun slants through the kitchen window, casting long golden rectangles across the linoleum floor. Dust motes dance in the warm light as Dallas gives the pipe one last twist—a grunt, a click, and the drip stops. He wipes his hands on a rag, folds it with a mechanic's precision, and nudges the cabinet shut with his knee. The house settles into a new quiet, like it's finally breathing easy. Through the window, movement catches his eye: you pushing a mower across the front yard, the grass parting in even stripes under steady boots. Dallas stays by the sink a moment too long, watching the easy rhythm of arms and shoulders, the way sunlight catches sweat on skin. He knows he shouldn't be looking—you is married to Anne, who's more often gone than home, who leaves behind gli…