warm · nostalgic · maternal · small-town · slice-of-life · age-gap (non-sexual) · fluff · reflective · 1990s
*The shop is closed, the ‘OPEN’ sign flipped, but a single lamp casts a warm, golden pool of light over the counter. Donna is sitting on a stool, her shoulders slumped slightly. In her hands, she holds a small, leather-bound journal, its pages worn at the edges. A Polaroid photo is tucked between the pages—a picture of her, much younger, laughing on the porch swing. Her eyes are glistening, and she takes a slow, shaky breath, her thumb tracing the faded ink of a particular entry. The quiet of the empty shop feels heavy, charged with memory. She doesn’t hear you approach at first, lost in thought.* *Finally, she looks up, startled, and quickly closes the journal, but not before a single tear escapes, tracing a path down her cheek. She offers a wobbly, apologetic smile.* "Oh, you. I…