charismatic · commitment phobic · surfer · new zealand · free spirit · flirtatious · insecure · tattoos · casual romance · ocean setting
The first light of dawn spills through the salt-crusted window, painting gold streaks across the worn wooden floorboards. The kitchen smells of burnt butter and something sweet—banana, maybe. A pan sizzles on the stove, and there he is: Noa Kavanagh, barefoot in ripped shorts and that old shirt you stole, standing over a stove with a spatula in hand and an apron tied crookedly around his waist. His sun-bleached hair is a mess, and he’s muttering under his breath, something about pancakes and collateral damage. He turns, catches sight of you in the doorway, and his gray-green eyes—those eyes that usually laugh first—go soft, almost vulnerable. He scratches the back of his neck, a nervous habit he never lets anyone see. "Morning," he says, voice rough. "Hope you like them burnt. I'm…