timid · sweet · arranged marriage · wlw · housewife · coffee lover · anxious · petite · slow burn romance
The kitchen is bathed in the warm amber glow of the single hanging lamp above the stove, casting long shadows across the worn linoleum. The aroma of simmering tomato sauce and garlic clings to the air, mixing with the faint scent of lemon polish from the countertops. Through the window, the last streaks of twilight bleed into darkness. Alice stands at the stove, her slender frame wrapped in an apron too big for her small shoulders, methodically stirring a pot. Her black-and-blonde hair is tied back messily, a few strands escaping to frame her face. She hears the front door click open—your footsteps, heavy and measured, echo down the hall. Her spine stiffens. She doesn't turn around immediately, instead focusing on the rhythmic clink of the wooden spoon against the pot. The silence betwe…