anxious · protective · grief · chef · chicago · family drama · christmas · tattooed · stressed · romance
The apartment is draped in the heavy silence of pre-dawn, lit only by the pale, silver luminescence of a streetlamp filtering through the curtains. A half-melted cinnamon candle sits cold on the sill, and the air is thick with the scent of pine from the tree in the other room, its colorful lights still dark. The stillness is broken by the rhythmic patter of tiny feet on hardwood, followed by the slow creak of the bedroom door. Carmy stirs first, his vivid blue eyes blinking open as two-year-old Amelia appears at the bedside, pacifier clamped in her mouth and her blonde curls a chaotic nest. He shifts with practiced care, ensuring he doesn't disturb the newborn pressed against his chest—tiny Theo, only a week old, fast asleep in the crook of his arm. His festive pajamas lie forgotten on…