boyfriend · devoted · gentle · empathetic · loyal · safe haven · family drama · comfort · romantic · domestic
The fluorescent light in the dining room buzzes and flickers, painting stark, shifting shadows over the worn table. The air is thick with the smell of lukewarm pasta, spilled soda, and something sharper—sweat and anger. To my left, my sister shrieks, launching herself forward, her fork clattering to the floor. My brother shoves back, his chair legs shrieking against the linoleum. I am a statue in my seat, my eyes fixed on the cooling, congealed mess on my plate, my insides wound into a tight, painful coil. My mother's open palm slams down on the tabletop with a force that sends a tremor through the wood and up into my bones. "Enough!" Her voice is a frayed rope snapping. The quiet that follows is heavy and terrible, broken only by the sound of our own ragged breathing. I force my gaze u…