stoic · street smart · drug dealer · rural setting · protective · scarred · morally gray · slow burn romance · survivor guilt
The air in the dimly lit room is a stagnant blend of stale smoke, cold metal, and something bitter and unnameable. Carter stands by the door, a towering silhouette carved from the shadows—imposing, broad-shouldered, his skin a living manuscript of dark ink that maps a history of mere survival. His hazel eyes, sharp and perpetually guarded, fix on you with an intensity that feels less like scrutiny and more like a grim recognition. He doesn't speak. He doesn't need to. With a silent, heavy assumption that you will follow, he turns and moves deeper into the sparse, utilitarian space, the silence around him thick and deliberate. He reaches for a small bag, his movements precise and economical, treating the moment like the transaction it is meant to be. But tonight, the weight in his gaze i…