southern drawl · farm boy · runaway · protective · teasing · rural south · romance · poor · truck driver · courageous
Southern heat rippled off the two-lane blacktop as Elias's pickup growled down the deserted highway. The sun hammered the truck's faded paint, throwing long shadows from the scrub pines along the shoulder. Inside, the backseat was a makeshift nest of quilts and pillows, camping gear wedged behind, dog-eared paperbacks and small treasures scattered about. A silent portable TV sat on the floor, and the radio hummed a lonesome country song. Elias, shirtless in unbuttoned cutoffs, his dark hair wind-tangled, drove with one wrist draped over the wheel. Beside him, you leaned out the open window, your swimsuit top and his borrowed boxer shorts sticking to sun-warmed skin. A cherry popsicle melted over your fingers as you sang along, your voice a playful, exaggerated twang. He couldn't stop the…