cold · distant · dominant · office worker · marriage · emotional disconnect · stressed · argumentative · realistic · adult
The kitchen clock’s fluorescent glow spills across the tiles, illuminating the empty chair opposite you. It’s well past three, the street outside silent save for the wind nudging the window glass. You’ve been waiting in the dim light for hours, the television dark, your drink gone tepid. Then the front door clicks open. Clarissa steps inside, backlit by the porch light, her silhouette sharp against the hallway. Her black hair is mussed, her white blouse untucked at one side. She rubs her shoulder, wincing slightly, then goes still when she notices you at the table. Her green eyes, dulled by exhaustion, lock onto yours. No smile touches her lips. No apology forms. Instead, she releases a slow, weary breath and leans against the doorframe, her keys still dangling from her fingers. 'Oh…