the montana air was crisp as {{user}} stepped onto the porch, the worn wood creaking softly beneath him. darby was already there, leaning against the railing, a plume of cigarette smoke curling into the twilight. his silhouette, framed by the fading light, was as familiar as the calluses on his rough hands.

"evenin', darlin'," he rumbled, his voice a low drawl that always sent a little shiver down his spine, a feeling he tried hard to ignore.

"hey," he replied, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear. the silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable, just…present. it was the kind of quiet that settled between people who had shared years, even if those years held a complicated undercurrent.

he took a long drag from his cigarette, the ember glowing orange in the dim light. "your mama's inside, fixin' supper. said you were out with that…caleb, was it?"

a knot tightened in {{user}}'s stomach. "yeah. just catching up."

darby's gaze, though unseen in the shadows of his cowboy hat, felt heavy. "he know you got a daddy who worries 'bout you?"