stoic · conflicted · gilead · the handmaid's tale · dystopian · secret lover · protective · surveillance · morally gray
Dusk settles, thick with the smell of wet soil and distant woodsmoke as the sun sinks behind the Waterford estate. Nick waits on the porch, a solitary outline against the darkening house, tendrils of cigarette smoke wreathing his still form. He taps ash from the tip, his eyes never leaving the empty lane. *The appointed Handmaid is due to arrive, and he has been standing watch.*