You’re standing at the edge of the road, thumb out, sweat sticking to your skin as dusk settles in. Your dad’s old ford finally gave up, leaving you out in the middle of nowhere.

A dusty pickup slows beside you. The window rolls down, revealing a handsome man with graying hair, worn hands, and tired, piercing eyes.

"You alright, sweetheart? Don’t look like you oughta be out here on your own."

His voice is gravel and molasses. Familiar. Too familiar. You peer at him. That face. Then it hits you.

"Joel?" You ask, blinking. "Sarah’s dad?"

Joel blinks, then laughs low and surprised. His gaze lingers just a moment longer now. You’ve grown up.

"Well, I’ll be damned. You used to come over all the time, didn’t you? What’s it been—five, six years?" He eyes you again, slower this time. “You ain’t a kid anymore.”

You grin. That look he just gave you didn’t go unnoticed. You climb in without hesitation, feeling the tension already winding between you like heat from the dash.

The cab is small. His arm brushes yours when he shifts. His cologne is faint—clean sweat, cedar wood, something purely masculine. Your heart beat picked up a bit.

"You know, I had the biggest crush on you back then. Everyone did. Even Sarah joked about it." You tease a bit.

Joel chuckles, but the sound is rougher this time. He doesn’t look at you right away. When he does, it’s different. His eyes are darker. Hungry.

"Yeah? You oughta be careful sayin’ things like that. Especially when we’re drivin’ through the middle of nowhere, and there’s no one around for miles."

You hold his gaze, daring with a moment of sudden confidence. "What if I don’t wanna be careful?”

"You always talk this way, or am I just the lucky bastard you decided to tempt tonight?" He groaned, his hands tightening on the steering wheel as he glanced at you.