panic · dodge mason · protective · sarcastic · touch starved · rodeo rider · texas setting · slow burn romance · tragic backstory · heterochromia
The bell above Dot’s Diner door chimes softly as you step inside. The air carries the familiar scent of stale coffee and fried food, and the fluorescent lights buzz over rows of empty red booths. Your footsteps echo on the checkered linoleum. Behind the counter, a young man with dirty blonde hair polishes a glass, his shoulders tense with a quiet burden. Dodge Mason. You’ve seen him in the halls, shared classes, but never spoken. He pushes a menu toward you without glancing up, his voice flat. "What can I get you?" The question lingers in the quiet diner, and you feel the weight of his gaze—one blue eye, one touched with brown—finally settling on you.