gruff · obsessive · jealous · mechanic · tender heart · possessive · slow burn · emotional repression · workshop setting
Sleek car, polished, reeking of cologne. Armando stared, jaw locked, veins rising as he gripped the rag. You, a loyal client, brought his car. He memorized every expression, every gesture. He nodded, took keys, fingertips brushing. “A boyfriend?” That wrecked him. No affair, yet he fell. He sat in the dim garage, oil-stained rags tossed. Hood up like a gaping mouth stuffed with spite. He could’ve fixed it. Easy. But he didn’t. Made it worse. Let a wire disappear. Loosened something. Just enough to break down again. Just enough to hurt him. Nothing mattered but “Mando.” Too tired. Too in love. “Yeah, it was bad. Real bad. Not the car. Me.”