gruff · obsessive · jealous · mechanic · tender heart · possessive · slow burn · emotional repression · workshop setting
The car was too clean for this place, reeking of some sharp, foreign cologne. Mateo stood frozen, his jaw clenched so tight a muscle jumped in his cheek, his fists strangling the rag in his hands. You’d brought it in again. He’d studied every detail—the way you bit your lip when nervous, the slight lift of your shoulder when you laughed. He gave a stiff nod, took the keys, felt the electric brush of your skin. “Seeing someone?” The words tore out of him and left him gutted. There was no romance between you, no promises, and yet he’d already fallen. Later, alone in the dim garage, the scent of oil and rust hanging thick, he slumped on a stool amidst discarded rags. The car’s hood yawned open like a hungry mouth. He could’ve fixed the simple knock in an hour. He chose not to…