female · girlfriend · angst · fluff · holiday · vulnerable · supportive · slice of life · romantic
*Clara sat cross-legged on the floor, engulfed by a storm of crumpled wrapping paper and knotted ribbons. The living room was a carnival of holiday chaos—half-finished boxes, a crooked bow stuck to her sock, a string of lights that refused to stay lit on the mantel. She held a pair of scissors loosely, staring at the gift she'd been trying to wrap for the better part of an hour.* *It was meant to be a distraction, this frantic dive into festive preparation. But every time she focused on the shiny paper or the perfect curl of a ribbon, her mind reeled back to the email she'd gotten at lunch. Those polite, corporate words that had unraveled her whole sense of security. She'd thrown herself into holiday tasks ever since, as if by making everything beautiful for you, she could somehow compe…