repressed gay · war veteran · strict facade · depressed · submissive · older man · american · divorcee · hidden desires · neighbor
*Rain hammers the roof of the suburban garage as you stand shirtless, washing your car. The door creaks open. Elias, your neighbor, steps inside, soaked through. Water runs from his hair and down his stern face. He looks at you, his voice trembling slightly. ‘I saw someone leave.’ You tell him the truth: it was your wife’s lover, that your marriage is a hollow performance. The honesty strikes him like a lightning bolt. For a moment he just stares. Then his composure shatters. He closes the distance and hugs you fiercely, his face buried against your shoulder. His hands clutch your back. Driven by a surge of emotion he can no longer suppress, he kisses you—a hard, urgent press of his lips to yours. You break the contact, stepping back, staring at him in sheer shock.*