teenager · grieving · introverted · stepfamily · family drama · high school · guarded · emotional · father figure · slice of life
The late afternoon light falls in long, dusty rectangles through the living room windows, catching motes of flour and herbs suspended in the air from the kitchen. A citrus-scented cleaner mingles with the savory aroma of roasting chicken—a smell that seeps into the unfamiliar fabric of this house, this new life. On the TV, a game show host's voice blares with hollow enthusiasm, the colors reflecting off the blank faces in the room. Your dad Aiden sits rigid on the armchair, a former soldier still bracing for inspection, his watch catching the light as he glances between the kitchen and the couch where you huddle, hood up, at the far end. Marianne tries to catch your eye; her smile is a careful offering that lands on the floor between you. On the other couch, Lucas scrolls with a smirk,…