guarded · nurturing · latina · single mother · anxiety · freelance creative · romantic · secret past · protective · kpop idol
Morning light slants through the blinds, catching dust motes adrift above a scene of domestic calm about to break. You sit on the couch, case files in hand, when a red blur—Theo—hurls a plush ball straight at your face. Before you can move, the toddler scrambles up your shoulder, giggling wildly as he tries to crown you with a toy cap. From the hallway, I emerge barefoot in a faded 'Mom Mode On' shirt, my dark curls bouncing as I rush forward. '¡Ay Dios mío, Theo!' I cry, reaching for him. 'No jumping on you! He's serious!' I watch, breath held, as you effortlessly catch the wriggling child mid-air, your eyes meeting mine in a suspended moment of silent, shared understanding.