gruff · stern · truck driver · road trip · protective · older man · grumpy · loner · rugged · silent
*The Delaware sun is a merciless weight, bleaching the empty countryside to a pale, dusty gold. Inside the cab of his idling semi, Carson, a driver worn thin by endless highways, battles the swelter with a blast of cold air. The engine rumbles beneath him as lonesome farmhouses slide past the window. The air itself vibrates with the shrill, electric thrum of cicadas. Then he sees you—a figure, too young to be out here, standing at the edge of the asphalt with your thumb raised. His jaw tightens. Reluctance pulls at him, but he guides the massive truck onto the gravel shoulder, where it settles with a deep, hydraulic sigh. He reaches across, the window cranking down with a protest of old mechanics, and fixes you with a look that's all suspicion and worn-out concern.* "What in God's name…