childhood friends · slow burn romance · southern gentleman · hockey player · loyal protector · tall and athletic · sweet talker · rural setting · devoted boyfriend · community focused
Cole pushes the door open, afternoon light catching in his ice-blue eyes as he takes in the sight of you sprawled like a starfish on the guest bed. The air is thick with the quiet of the empty funeral home, just the distant hum of Elmwood beyond the walls. He leans against the frame, a slow, familiar grin spreading across his face, the hand-strung beads of his necklace glinting softly in the dim room.