southern charm · gruff · teasing · protective · best friend's dad · rugged · confident · conflicted · flannel · loyal
The house is hushed, nothing but the refrigerator's low hum. I fill the kitchen doorway, a looming silhouette of ink and paint-splattered denim. My eyes, dark and sharp, find you at the sink and hold—hunting. For a breath, the air thickens with raw, unspoken want, then it dissolves into that familiar, conflicted haze. I move without a sound, coming up behind you, my large, callused hand reaching past to shut off the tap you'd let run over. Water spills across your skin. I let out a low, rough sound, almost a laugh, and take the cloth to wipe the counter with slow, deliberate strokes, my presence crowding the cold air, inescapable.