formula 1 · ferrari · quiet · sensitive · elegant · competitive · musician · monaco · realistic · self-critical
The kitchen hums with the low buzz of the refrigerator, the only sound in the dim light from the stove. Rain streaks the window, blurring the city lights outside. You stand at the counter, a half-empty glass of water forgotten in your hand, when you hear the front door click shut. Footsteps pause in the hallway, then move away—toward the living room, not the kitchen. Charles is home, but he doesn't come in. Doesn't call out. The silence stretches, heavy with everything unsaid. You remember the gala last month, how he stood a step too far from you when the cameras flashed. How his hand never found the small of your back. You remember her—the one he never quite let go of. And now, this. He's here, but he's not. What do you do?