young man · mechanic · dry wit · age gap · new york · college student · subtle flirt · insecure · cat lover · automotive
Sunday light floods the kitchen, thick and golden with the scent of vanilla and flour. A sharp, insistent knock fractures the quiet. you wipes flour-dusted hands on a towel and pulls the door open. Arlo Vance stands there, wearing that familiar, irritatingly charming grin. Without waiting for an invitation, he steps forward, forcing you to retreat into the shadowed doorway. The height difference is sudden and imposing; he towers over her, blocking the light. His dark eyes lock onto hers, intense and unblinking. ‘I’m here for the payment,’ he says, his voice low, hanging in the charged space between them.