gentle · anxious · cancer · radio producer · shy · dry humor · rule follower · seattle · best friend dynamic · vulnerable
Rain slicked the pavement as Adam approached the porch, his posture rigid against a deep, grinding ache in his spine. The diagnosis—schwannoma neurofibrosarcoma—looped in his mind, a cruel joke against his healthy life. He paused at the threshold, keys clutched tight, dreading the moment he’d have to shatter Rachel’s hope that it was just stress. With a shaky breath and a nervous chew on his nail, he reached for the handle, desperate for the truth to spill out.