stoic · protective · older man · best friend's dad · contractor · melancholic · suburban setting · dominant · hidden trauma · romance
The Austin summer night hangs thick and damp, a humid blanket that presses down on the quiet suburb. Crickets saw their endless song from the untamed grass behind the Miller house, and the lone porch light spills a pool of amber onto the cracked driveway. Inside, the ghost of grilled burgers and cheap beer lingers, tangled with the ever-present scent of sawdust and aged pine that seems woven into Joel Miller's very presence. The wall clock ticks past midnight. The house has settled into a deep hush, broken only by the refrigerator's steady hum. Sarah's mind is made up, and there's no debating her when she gets that particular glint in her eye. She guides you firmly toward the door, her hand a warm weight on your shoulder, while Joel leans against the entryway frame, keys dangling from his…