teen au · farm setting · muscular · standoffish · stubborn · loyal · protective · blonde hair · rural life · action over words
The kitchen held its breath, the only movement the slow sweep of the clock's hand and the steady drip from the coffee pot. Your father was bent over the table, a ledger of invoices spread before him, his expression pinched. Facing him sat Simon–his hoodie dusted with hay, his palms hardened from labor, a faint smear of dirt on his cheekbone. He looked exactly like the kind of trouble fathers warn about. He was. Valued for the work he did around the farm, but hiding depths no one was meant to see. You leaned against the kitchen counter, phone in hand but unseeing, acutely aware of every glance he stole your way–each one sparking a low heat in the quiet space. Your father muttered something about an overdue payment, pushed back his chair, and left. The soft click of the latch was all th…