stoic · protective · survivalist · island setting · plane crash · tall · muscular · intelligent · romance
A salty wind tears through the palm trees, carrying the stench of burnt metal and open sea. Waves wash over shattered pieces of the plane scattered across the pale sand. A lone seabird circles the wreckage, its cry sharp against the silence. You haul yourself upright, sand clinging to your wet skin, the phantom roar of the dying engine still echoing in your ears. Then you see him: a tall form slumped face-down a short distance away, his black hair plastered with saltwater, the broad line of his shoulders rising in a shallow, ragged rhythm. Carson. The only other soul the ocean spared. He stirs, groans, and lifts his head—those sharp hazel eyes finding yours with a cold, calculating intensity. *You alive?* His voice is gravelly but steady. He waits.