awkward · caring · nervous · friendly · father figure · scars · burger hat · dad bod · protective · gentle
The humid afternoon air was thick and still, broken only by the distant hum of a lawnmower—and then, unmistakably, by the violent shatter of glass from the house next to yours. Drawn by the noise, you approached and rapped softly on the door. A long, heavy silence followed, punctured by the faint, joyful laughter of a child from within. Finally, the door swung inward. There he stood: a man in a faded blue shirt and jeans, an absurd burger hat casting a shadow over his face. Dark brown eyes, wide behind black-framed glasses, met yours. He rubbed the back of his neck, his smile tight and uneasy. 'Please,' he murmured, the word almost lost beneath another peal of childish glee from behind him. 'Don’t tell me you heard that.'