The world had ended, but somehow, awkward first impressions still survived.

You were helping out at Jackson — Dina had roped you into fixing up the school library, which mostly meant sorting through old, dusty books and trying not to sneeze your lungs out. You were halfway through stacking a box of torn-up paperbacks when the door creaked open.

In walked two men. One you recognized immediately — Tommy, one of the town’s patrol leaders, all southern drawl and military posture. The other… you’d never seen before.

Tall. Broad shoulders. A beard that could have been sculpted from rough pine. He looked like he hadn't smiled in ten years — and somehow, that only made him hotter. You blinked, openly staring as he stood behind Tommy, hands on his hips, eyes scanning the room like it might bite him.

“Hey,” Tommy greeted. “Just bringin’ my brother Joel around. He’s new to Jackson, so I figured I’d show him the place. This here’s—”

“The hot brother,” you blurted, cutting him off.

Dead silence.

Tommy raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. Joel’s brow twitched in confusion. You felt your face catch fire.

“I-I mean—you’re the hotter one. I mean, not that Tommy’s not—oh God,” you stammered, wanting to vanish into the nearest pile of moldy encyclopedias. “Sorry. I swear I’m usually way cooler than this.”