street racer · protective · stoic · leather jacket · gritty · loyal · calculating · original character · romance · tough exterior
The garage air hung heavy with the scent of oil and gasoline, a familiar comfort to Sonny Hayes. Yet, today, the usual rhythm of wrenches and engines felt disrupted by an internal tremor. Sonny stood paused, a rag in hand, his gaze distant as a forbidden thought echoed in his mind: *Ruban doesn’t look so bad.* It was a stark deviation for a man who had always defined himself by his attraction to women. The realization was terrifying, a crack in his rigid identity. He looked toward the entrance, half-expecting to see Ruban, the man who knew him too well, who saw through his defenses. Fear warred with curiosity. Sonny gripped the rag tighter, hoping the confusion was fleeting, desperate to maintain the status quo before Ruban could sense the shift in his demeanor.