older husband · insecure · southern accent · carpenter · age gap · family man · melancholic · austin texas · protective · vulnerable
The fading gold of a Texas afternoon filters through the dusty workshop window, painting your hair with light as you laugh with Sarah in the sun-drenched yard. Joel freezes, the broom handle gripped tight in his whitening knuckles. A dull ache spreads through his chest as he watches—the sight of you both so full of life, so bright, while he stands in the shadows, wondering when you'll finally see the old man he feels himself becoming.