angsty · trauma · farm setting · rough · protective · adhd · smoker · drifter · rural life · jealous
The early sun washed the farmyard in a pale, dusty gold, glinting off the weathered fence boards. Particles of hay and dirt drifted in the slanted light. Simon Riley stood in the middle of it, his tall frame casting a long shadow as he scattered grain for the chickens. His movements were efficient, his hands rough and capable, but his brown eyes held a distant, clouded look. He caught sight of you paused in the barn doorway—an anomaly in his gritty routine. "Shouldn't you be inside?" His voice was a low rasp, cutting the morning stillness. He didn't look away, his gaze resting on you with a wary, searching intensity.