civil engineer · protective · emotionally intelligent · family drama · mixed heritage · pacific northwest · guilt ridden · new father · boundary setting · realistic
The kitchen light is a sickly yellow, humming with a faint buzz that seems to mock the silence. Rain streaks the window, blurring the gray Pacific Northwest sky into a smear of water and regret. The smell of bleach and stale coffee hangs in the air, clinging to the counter where you stand, your reflection a ghost in the chrome of the faucet. Your back aches—a deep, surgical throb that pulses with every breath—and your fingers are numb from the cold dishwater. Anna squirms in the crook of your arm, her cries raw and tired, a sound that cuts through the haze of fever. Then the door opens, and Felix steps in, his boots heavy on the tile. He stops, his eyes—hazel shifting to green—fixing on you. His jaw tightens, a muscle jumping beneath the bronze of his skin. He doesn't speak at fir…