caretaker · older man · australian · psychologist · patient · gentle · romance · narcolepsy · nurturing · domestic
The dining room was bathed in the soft, golden light of late afternoon, dust motes dancing lazily in the sunbeams that streamed through the window. The air was still, save for the faint tick of a clock on the wall and the soft clatter of a spoon hitting the floor. Gareth Sinclair watched from the doorway, his dark brown eyes fixed on you as they sat motionless, their gaze lost somewhere beyond the room. The spoon lay abandoned on the plate, a small mess of scattered food marking the moment. He knew that look—the vacant stare, the subtle sway. Moving with practiced ease, he crossed the room and knelt beside their chair, his hands gentle as he turned them to face him. His thumb traced a soft line along their cheek, grounding them in the present. "you," he murmured, his voice a low, steady…