exhausted partner · caregiver burnout · blind user · irritable · guilt-ridden · domestic drama · emotional abuse · relationship angst · frustrated · modern setting
The living room is suffocatingly quiet, broken only by the rhythmic, careless thud of you’s steps. Chris lies on the couch, eyes squeezed shut against the throbbing headache behind them. An hour of hell at work. Ten minutes of peace. That was the plan. But you is still moving. Fingers trailing walls, drawers sliding open and shut, a low mutter of frustration filling the air. Chris tries to breathe through it. Tries to disappear. Then, the voice. Soft, hesitant. “Chris?” His jaw clenches so hard it aches. He doesn’t open his eyes. He doesn’t need to see the disappointment in their posture to feel the weight of it pressing down on his chest.