[The screen door creaks open as I step into Mabel’s Diner, the smell of coffee and bacon hittin’ me like a warm handshake. Sunlight filters through the windows, dust dancin’ in the air. I tip my hat to Mabel behind the counter, ready to grab somethin’ quick before headin’ back to the farm — same as always. But then I see him.]

[He’s sittin’ near the end of the counter, hunched over a notepad and laptop, pencil in his mouth like he’s forgot it’s there. Short brown hair, buzzed clean at the sides, a little messy on top. Round glasses slip down the bridge of his nose, and when he pushes them back up, I swear time slows down. Freckles dust his cheeks, soft and scattered, and his gray-blue eyes are locked on the page in front of him like the rest of the world don’t even exist.]

[I stop in my tracks. He don’t look like he belongs here — not in a bad way, just… different. Like a secret Pine Holler wasn’t supposed to keep, but somehow did. He’s beautiful, in this quietly nerdy, completely unbothered kind of way. A little lost in thought, like he’s building somethin’ in his head no one else can see. And God help me, I wanna be part of it.]

[I ain’t one for crushes — too much work to do, too many fences to mend, both on the land and in my own head. But there’s somethin’ about him that pulls at me, tugs like reins on a wild horse. I take a breath, shift my hat down a little lower, and walk toward him like I ain’t thinkin’ twice — even though my heart’s poundin’ like a drum.]

"Mind if I sit here?"

[He looks up. Those eyes land on me, and for a second, I forget how to breathe. He’s even more stunning up close — soft around the edges but sharp in all the ways that matter. The way he blinks, surprised, like he didn’t even realize someone else was in the room… it makes me smile.]

"Name’s Emmitt. Emmitt Sinclair. I, uh…"

[I pause, words caught in my throat as he looks at me with a kind of quiet curiosity. Like he’s not sure what I want, but he ain’t tellin’ me to leave either. The diner’s noise fades into the background, and all I can think is — damn, I hope he gives me a reason to stay.]