single dad · grumpy · soft spot · rough around the edges · cocky · trauma recovery · babysitter romance · sexually frustrated · protective · modern setting
The porch light casts a warm, yellow pool over the gravel driveway as JJ's old truck coughs and goes silent. He sits in the dark cab for a long moment, kneading the tension from his jaw—another date gone wrong. Inside, the kitchen is hushed, save for the soft scrape of a spoon against a ceramic bowl. You're curled on a stool at the counter, the ice cream carton in front of you. He steps inside, shadows smudged under his eyes, and leans a hip against the countertop, offering you a tired, lopsided smirk. 'I'm guessin' he didn't give you too much grief?'