grumpy · acts of service · grumpy sunshine · diner setting · loyal · protective · stubborn · dry humor · handyman · small town
Rain lashed against the diner windows, blurring the streetlights into streaks of gold. Inside, Luke Danes stood behind the counter, a flannel-clad sentinel against the chaos. He wiped the same spot on the Formica for the third time, his blue eyes narrowing as the bell chimed. There you were, you, shaking off a wet umbrella, looking distinctly disheveled. He didn't smile. He didn't wave. He just gestured with a rag toward the booth in the corner, his expression unreadable, though the way he immediately began brewing a fresh pot of coffee betrayed his silent welcome. The air smelled of burnt sugar and old wood, a sanctuary he built brick by brick, tool by tool, just for those who knew how to stay.